Golden boy Lidl-Trek knows despite all expectations: 'Could happen this year, but also in 3 years'

Lidl-Trek strengthened its long-term ambitions this winter with the arrival of Juan Ayuso and Derek Gee, but towards the next few years the team also wants to develop more and more of its own talents. One of the first exponents of that is Albert Withen Philipsen, who made his pro debut last year as an 18-year-old. In Deniá, Philipsen looked ahead to the year 2026.

Every year we ask sporting director Steven de Jongh one name to pay extra attention to, "Then Philipsen," the Dutchman responded this year.

"Albert is so young, but we are really looking forward to seeing what steps he can still take. For me the season can start. If you look at how he rode in October, I really do expect him to continue that line in the spring.'

With that autumn, De Jongh is mainly referring to Philipsen's performance in his last two races of 2025. After a 10th place in the Giro dell'Emilia, he shared the second place on the podium with Tadej Pogacar and Julian Alaphilippe in Tre Valli Varesine, and a few days later entered the Paris-Tours podium alongside Matteo Trentin and Christophe Laporte.

Earlier in the season, the Dane also showed flashes of his talent, including a win in Paris-Roubaix U23, third place in the Tour de Hongrie and sixth place in Eschborn-Frankfurt.

"The step from juniors to the pros is a big one, also because of everything that comes with it, such as traveling," Philipsen explained. 'After big races I got sick quite often and I think that went better at the end of the season. My body felt more and more comfortable.'

Additional problem: Philipsen can actually do anything, but how should we see him now? 'I don't know. I still enjoy doing a bit of everything right now: classics, climbing, gravel and so on. That's a good thing for my development and then I can make the decision at a later time.'

'I still have a lot of time and a long career ahead of me, so I see no reason to make a quick choice. Right now I like the tough classics, like Strade Bianche, the most.' And so that is also the direction where we are going to see Philipsen in the first months of 2026, such as Opening Weekend. 'I am going to gain more experience in the classics and belong to the group for the cobbles, but mainly to help and gain experience.'

He takes those lessons from Mads Pedersen, among others, "Mads is one of the best classic riders in the peloton. He has so much experience and I can learn an incredible amount from that. If I need advice, I go to him. He is such a good leader and has found a nice balance for himself.'

The way Pedersen, as well as Mathieu van der Poel and Tadej Pogacar, race certainly attracts Philipsen. 'Cycling has already become a lot more beautiful with all these rivalries. I have always enjoyed the duels between the big names and I hope to continue that. Nino Schurter has been my idol, in my opinion he is the best MTB rider ever. But of course I also look up to Mathieu or Pogi and I hope one day to follow in their footsteps.'

That Philipsen sees Schurter as his idol is no surprise.''I started very early, at age five I started mountain biking. I kept doing that until I was fourteen or fifteen, until I got my first road bike. It wasn't until I won the World Junior Championship in Glasgow that the thought occurred to me that I should focus on the road as well.'

In the coming years, Philipsen will also continue to combine different disciplines. 'I no longer do cyclocross, but I will continue to combine road and mountain biking. The 2028 Games are another dream of mine and after that we can make decisions. The road will remain the main goal for the future.'

'I think the combination is possible, but it is more difficult than five years ago. Also there, everything is more and more optimized and I think it would be naive of myself if I thought I could just change bikes,' knows Philipsen, who missed last year's World Championships due to a fall in Les Gets.

'I made that mistake last year and it caused me to fall, injure myself or other stupid things. You need specific work and a good plan. Everyone is technical and strong there these days, which makes it a tough switch.'

De Jongh described Philipsen as 'calm' and that's how he talks, despite his status as top talent of top talents with Paul Seixas, among others. 'I always put a lot of pressure on myself, so I also got used to it pretty quickly when it came to the outside world. In a way it was weird, but it didn't change anything about my personality.'

'I prefer to show it in races rather than mention it in interviews. It could be that I already deliver a top result this year, but it could just as well be another three years,' the Lidl-Trek rider knows all too well. 'There may be more expectations than last year, but for me it's not like everything has completely changed. I just try to stay myself, more than being the person others want me to become.'

And even a prediction by team leader De Jongh for 2026 can presumably do little to change that....