"Got a little closer to Visma, but still far from UAE"; Lidl-Trek sees the gap narrowing heading into 2026

Lidl has acquired a majority stake in the team, and upon announcing this, the formation expressed its ambition to become the world's number one team. “Having such a big company as the major owner, most of all, gives us stability,” Guercilena adds.

This also gives the team a long-term vision. “We can be more consistent because when a big company like this steps in, we can carry on for longer. It’s also not a secret that Lidl is a lot bigger than Trek, so the business risk that Lidl can take is higher,” says the 52-year-old Italian, explaining the upcoming changes.

However, the most significant change will be the increased budget. Lidl-Trek reportedly already spent around € 10 million on signing Juan Ayuso. According to Daniel Benson, the budget for Lidl-Trek's men's team this year was between 30 and 33 million, and the journalist believes that another three to four million will be added next year.

“I would say that last season we were outside the top four in terms of budget, and now we are probably at least in the top four,” says Guercilena. “We are talking about the men's budget, so in 2025, we were outside the top five teams. But every year there are surprises, and you always think you are getting better, but then other teams rise again.”

With the renewed budget, the team aims to close the gap with the top teams. “If you analyze the market, you see that there are a few teams that can offer long-term contracts, and that allows you to hire riders with a long-term vision,” says the team boss, looking at UAE, among others.

“That way, you can be more competitive, because in the past, a strong team like UAE could offer riders long contracts and stability. So now, with the support of Lidl, we can do that too,” says Guercilena, who is now really focusing on the future. “If you look at the rankings, there are still a few teams we can chase. We came a little closer to Visma this year, but we are still a long way from UAE.”

Still, we also have to look behind us a little. “To be considered number one, you have to be judged in many areas—results, of course, but also culture and fan base. But in terms of athletic performance, we still have a huge gap to close with UAE,” the Italian says realistically.

“That's because they are very successful and very well managed,” Guercilena praises the competition. “We still have to work hard to catch up with them, but what we have shown over the past two years is that we are on the right track and that we must continue to strive for excellence.”

Then there was the media controversy between newcomer Ayuso and Mattias Skjelmose. The Dane had expressed some indignation about the signing of the Spaniard, but according to Guercilena, Ayuso's arrival is easy to explain. “The message was clear: the team needed another GC contender—and perhaps more—to be able to compete everywhere.”

It was also clear to the team boss what was missing. “To be competitive in every race, you need classification riders for every Grand Tour and every week-long race. The riders understand that this is the direction of the project. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility to make the difficult decisions, and everyone needs to know that team goals always come first.”

So the Italian believes in good cooperation between the two leaders. “I think it will work very well. We know Mattias very well and have worked with him for the past six years. He and Juan are both mature so that they can clarify things together, and I think Mattias has done that,” the team boss concludes.