17-year-old Wunderkind Albert Withen Philipsen entrusts his future to Lidl-Trek after dream season
Lidl-Trek is thrilled to announce the signing of rising star Albert Withen Philipsen, who will join the American outfit’s World Tour road racing team starting in 2025, and will represent it for the subsequent four seasons (through 2028).
In August, Albert added the Junior World Championship title to his palmarès, becoming the youngest rider to do so in the process.
Five days later, he also claimed the rainbow jersey in the XCO mountain-bike discipline. In addition to two world titles, Albert struck gold twice in the European Championships, this time pairing an XCO title with the individual time trial on the road. Albert’s magnificent season has confirmed him as the brightest young talent on the market, especially given his remarkable cross-discipline ability.
In 2024, Albert will continue to race on the road with his current junior team, Tscherning Cycling Academy, whilst he will be supported by Trek in off-road disciplines. Albert will join Lidl-Trek in person for the first time at its upcoming winter training camps, from which point he will begin to receive support from the Team and its sponsors’ many experts. Starting January 1st, Albert will be racing and training on Trek bikes.
On his decision to join Lidl-Trek, Albert Withen Philipsen said:
“For me Lidl-Trek was just the best match. My most important criteria when I had to choose my upcoming team, was to find the one that could best help me develop as a rider. I could really feel from the start how enthusiastic and passionate the people working in the team were, while still focused on not rushing the process and not putting too much pressure on my shoulders. With my multi-discipline approach it was also important for me to find a team that not only had the best setup on the road, but also on the MTB and cyclocross, and I really feel that Lidl-Trek does that.
“I’m really looking forward to getting to know everyone on the team. As a Dane I’m particularly excited to join Mads Pedersen and Mattias Skjelmose. In the next few years my plan is to continue to mix the different disciplines, but primarily focus on the road. I want to keep focusing on the process, and work on some of my weak points. For me that will be my general experience and tactical skills. I’m still trying to figure out which races I will focus on in the future. Right now I’m a bit ‘in between’ as a rider type, so I hope to become the best all-rounder in the world.”
Speaking of the exciting deal, Luca Guercilena, Lidl-Trek General Manager, said: “Attracting Albert to join Lidl-Trek when so many teams were chasing his signature is testament to the structure we have built here. A special thanks must go to Markel Irizar (Talent Scout) and Josu Larrazabal (Head of Performance), whose passion for working with young riders has made Lidl-Trek a great prospect for developing the very best talent.
“Our approach with Albert remains the same as it is with all young riders: to give him all the support we can whilst we let him develop naturally, not to rush him. When he joins the team, we plan to set Albert a calendar that incorporates his various disciplines, but with a focus on road racing. On the road he will split his time between racing with our Development Team and the World Tour Team to ensure a balanced progression. Personally, I can’t wait to see Albert put on the Lidl-Trek jersey and begin his professional career with us!”
Lidl-Trek Talent Scout Markel Irizar added: “For us as a team, and also personally, it is a big satisfaction that Albert has chosen our team to continue with his promising career. But at same time we take this as a big responsibility, and we want to support him at the highest level to ensure his best development.
“Looking at Albert’s qualities as a rider there are two things that make him stand out: his determination and his desire to learn. He has a huge engine, but probably it’s his head that makes the difference. We are very happy to have such a talented multi-disciplined rider in our team, which will give us a big boost across the different disciplines. We are especially motivated to support him, but at the same time we don’t want to put any pressure on him, we will be there to support and protect him.”
