The second Monument of the season takes place on Sunday with Ronde van Vlaanderen. Here’s what to expect from Lidl-Trek
Cold Flandrian wind wafts the smell of beer and frites through thick crowds of people. Cycling fans stand in gutters full of mud and puddles carrying flags, banners and cowbells. They line the sides of jagged cobblestone climbs and, in between their chatter, listen out for the hum of a helicopter overhead. That noise is the first sign that the race is coming. Then, motorbikes whir past throwing up grit and dirt, as shouts and cheers build in a crescendo. The energy from these crowds is so electric it almost warms up the chilly air. Finally, after what feels like an eternity, the riders are here. Bikes crashing, gears clicking, chains bouncing – it is chaos as they slip and slide over steep inclines. Manic fans encourage the peloton with whoops and screams, watching cycling myth and legend come to life in front of their eyes. This is sacred Sunday, and we are at De Ronde van Vlaanderen.
Photo: Zac Williams
Each year, this race is one of the most important in the cycling season. It is the second Monument and arguably the pinnacle of the cobbled Classics. Preparation for the De Ronde begins over the winter, with riders doing recons of the Flanders parcours as much as six months before they will tackle them on race day. Being ready and alert when the climbs come thick and fast is almost as important has having the physical strength to get over them – positioning is paramount to avoid disaster. To get this right, you need experience.
Lidl-Trek’s men’s and women’s teams for the Tour of Flanders this year combine young talent with seasoned Classics riders. On the men’s squad, Belgium-native Edward Theuns starts his thirteenth Tour of Flanders in 2026, and he knows a thing or two about how to finesse the cobbles. As road captain, Theuns plays an essential part in guiding the younger riders on his team up and over the bergs he learned his trade on.
“I’m Flemish so in the Classics I have the knowledge of the roads and parcours, I am one of the guys that has a lot of experience. This makes the difference.” Theuns explains.
I know what is important, how the race went in past years. This is always something you take with you as a rider.
Photo: Chris Auld
In order to provide the best support for leader Mads Pedersen, who finished second in De Ronde last year, Theuns’ helps communicate to his team during the race, ensuring everyone is where they need to be at important moments.
“I am quite good at positioning for the key points. The team gives me confidence to guide them and make choices on when we have to move in the peloton,” Theuns says. “I try to advise my teammates tactically and physically where to go at which moment, especially with this line-up where we have a lot of young riders. This is something that is really important. For me it is natural to ride on Flemish roads but for some guys it isn’t as easy.”
I try to be an extension of the sports directors who sit in the car, but in the bunch.
Theuns himself recalls his first experience of racing Flanders in 2014 and admits that it was a baptism of fire: “I didn’t finish it! I arrived on the bus and I was really completely done. Flanders is a super hard race, maybe for me it was a little bit too hard, but I always tried to be there for the leaders in the team. I started in my first Flanders with Fabian Cancellara so I’ve always had big leaders to work for, like we have with Mads now.”
Photo: Twila Muzzi
The women’s team also is a combination of young talent such as Fleur Moors (who finished second In Flanders Fields last weekend) alongside the likes of Lucinda Brand who has almost two decades of experience in the peloton.
“The role of road captain is much wider than just only in the race,” Brand says. “While you have a lot of racing experience and know how to stay calm and have a good overview, it is also about getting to know the signals at the dinner table and sometimes being an extension to the staff. Sometimes you get put in rooms with young riders to teach them and sometimes you go with the leader to give them some calm and trust.”
Like Theuns, Brand also stresses that mindset can be as important as physicality: “For Flanders, the biggest thing I tell young riders is to stay calm. With Fleur, she is so enthusiastic and the biggest thing is not spending energy where you don’t need to. Every push counts at the end of the race. I try to encourage her to think ahead, this is the key. These are quite demanding races in a way because every moment you need to be aware that you can lose your position and you need to fight. You can be dropped but then come back and then it starts all over again. It is about finding a balance between giving information and letting people experience it themselves, because you don’t want to make young riders too afraid or make them overthink things. It’s also good that they go in with no expectations and don’t know how much it hurts!”
Whether a rider is making their debut in De Ronde, or has ridden the bergs and cobbles for decades, each will finish this race with a story to tell. Guided by road captains and led by champions, Lidl-Trek’s men and women teams are hoping for a fairytale ending in Flanders this weekend.
Lidl-Trek’s full line-up for The Tour of Flanders:
Men: Mads Pedersen, Edward Theuns, Max Walscheid, Søren Kragh Andersen, Mathias Norsgaard, Mathias Vacek, Tim Torn Teutenberg
Women: Emma Norsgaard, Lauretta Hanson, Fleur Moors, Shirin van Anrooij, Lucinda Brand, Elisa Balsamo
