2023 is coming to a close, and that means IDLProCycling.com is reviewing all WorldTour teams one last time, one by one, to look back at their performances. In this article, it's Lidl-Trek's turn. The team was known as Trek-Segafredo until June 30, 2023.
One-day races 2023: Lidl-Trek
Last season, Lidl-Trek managed to accumulate quite a few victories in one-day races. However, it should be noted that these were primarily victories in national championships. In the United States (Quinn Simmons), Luxembourg (Alex Kirsch), Denmark (Mattias Skjelmose), Latvia (Emils Liepins) and the Czech Republic (Mathias Vacek), the team delivered the national road race champion each time. The team also fared well in national time trial championships, with Amanuel Gebreigzabhier (Eritrea), Kirsch (Luxembourg) and Skujins (Latvia) becoming champions in the race against the clock in their home countries.
Looking at the 'regular' one-day races, we see fewer victories. In fact, there were only three: Thibau Nys triumphed in the GP Kanton Aargau, Mads Pedersen in the BEMER Cyclassics Hamburg and Skjelmose in the Maryland Cycling Classic. However, this paints a somewhat distorted picture, as Pedersen can look back on an excellent classics campaign: sixth in Milan-Sanremo, fifth in Gent-Wevelgem, fifth in Dwars door Vlaanderen, third in the Tour of Flanders and fourth in Paris-Roubaix, those were his spring results. Add to that his BEMER victory, fourth place at the World Championships, seventh place at the European Championships and a bronze medal in the Sparkassen Münsterland Giro, and the man did fantastically well. The same is true of Skjelmose, who was on point in the autumn races in Canada, as well as in the Ardennes classics: eighth, second and ninth respectively in the Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne and Liège-Bastogne-Liège. Not bad!
Lastly, we would also like to mention Thibau Nys, who developed rapidly and even achieved his first pro victory. Skujins also had an excellent year in the classics (not only that), with an eighth place at the World Championships as his finest result. His top ten finishes in the Clasica San Sebastián, the Circuito de Getxo and the Brabantse Pijl are also highly commendable. Giulio Ciccone also achieved top twenty finishes in several one-day races, although perhaps we had expected a bit more from him.
(Grand) tours 2023: Lidl-Trek
The majority of Lidl-Trek's victories were achieved in (grand) tours. In this section, once again we must mention Pedersen as the man who pulled the chestnuts out of the fire in stage races. In February, he won the individual time trial in the Etoile de Bessèges, soon followed by a triumph in Paris-Nice. In the Grand Tours, Pedersen added two more victories to his name. Stage six in the Giro d'Italia suited him well, as did stage eight in the Tour de France. The 27-year-old (nearly 28) Dane also won stage five and the overall classification in the Tour of Denmark. And that's not even mentioning all his runner-up places...
Skjelmose, a compatriot of Pedersen's, also had a stellar year. We already mentioned him in the paragraphs about one-day races, but he certainly needs to be mentioned when it comes to stage races as well. The talented and versatile man from Copenhagen also won a stage in the Etoile de Bessèges, one day before Pedersen's triumph. Skjelmose also nabbed a stage in the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var. In June, he added stage three and the overall classification in the Tour de Suisse to his list of achievements, after which he performed quite well in 'La Grande Boucle' (although he might think differently).
Skujins also performed well in the grand tours. In the Giro d'Italia, he seemed to have endless energy, resulting in several high placings from breakaways. Was it all smooth sailing for the team then? Not necessarily. From a rider like Bauke Mollema, we might have expected a bit more, despite his 'age', and the same could be said for riders such as Juan Pedro López, Jasper Stuyven and Quinn Simmons (aside from his stage victory in the Vuela a San Juan).
Final score 2023: Lidl-Trek
The team of Luca Guercilena managed to achieve as many as 27 victories in 2023 (including national titles), although the number of riders who brought home those victories was quite limited. It was mainly Pedersen who increased the victory tally, with Ciccone and Skjelmose also contributing significantly. Therefore, the team's final grade is a 6.8. At least according to the editorial team of IDLProCycling.com.
Transfers 2023/2024: Lidl-Trek
Incoming: Patrick Konrad (BORA-hansgrohe), Fabio Felline (Astana Qazaqstan Team), Tao Geoghegan Hart (INEOS Grenadiers), Sam Oomen (Jumbo-Visma), Simone Consonni (Cofidis), Carlos Verona (Lidl-Trek), Ryan Gibbons (UAE Team Emirates), Andrea Bagioli, Tim Declerq (Soudal Quick-Step) and Jonathan Milan (Bahrain Victorious)
Outgoing: Tony Gallopin (retired), Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel-Euskadi), Kenny Elissonde (Cofidis), Amanuel Gebreigzabhier (not yet known), Emils Liepins (Team DSM-firmenich PostNL), Antwan Tolhoek (not yet known), Markus Hoelgaard (Uno-X), Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain Victorious), Filippo Baroncini (UAE Team Emirates), Asbjorn Hellemose (not yet known) and Marc Brustenga (Equipo Kern Pharma)
Ones to watch 2024: Lidl-Trek
Lidl-Trek is perhaps the team that has made the biggest splash in the transfer market. No major stars or talents have left the team - with a few exceptions - and the incoming transfers are almost all riders with a solid track record: from Tao Geoghegan Hart to Jonathan Milan, and from Patrick Konrad to Andrea Bagioli. So, initially, it's definitely worth watching what these new guys can achieve, as well as what the riders who remained on board will deliver.
Lidl-Trek was already a versatile team, but with the selection for 2024, they can really head in any direction. With Pedersen, they have a jack-of-all-trades, while Ciccone, Geoghegan Hart and Skjelmose can lead in terms of climbing. For the classics, the American WorldTour brigade, besides Pedersen, also has Bagioli (especially in hilly races), Nys, Simmons and Stuyven to count on. Pedersen will also serve as a sprinter if needed, although Milan can also regularly be deployed for sprinting. And then we haven't even mentioned riders such as Skujins, Konrad and Mollema...
Selection Lidl-Trek 2024
- Andrea Bagioli
- Julien Bernard
- Dario Cataldo
- Giulio Ciccone
- Simone Consonni
- Tim Declerq
- Fabio Felline
- Tao Geoghegan Hart
- Ryan Gibbons
- Daan Hoole
- Alex Kirsch
- Patrick Konrad
- Juan Pedro López
- Jonathan Milan
- Bauke Mollema
- Jacopo Mosca
- Thibau Nys
- Sam Oomen
- Mads Pedersen
- Quinn Simmons
- Mattias Skjelmose
- Toms Skujins
- Jasper Stuyven
- Natnael Tesfatsion
- Edward Theuns
- Mathias Vacek
- Otto Vergaerde
- Carlos Verona
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