Lidl-Trek shows off 'secret weapon' after Pedersen’s victory and successful spring, but how important is it really?

On Monday, Lidl-Trek released a buzzing press release explaining the so-called SRAM 1x RED XPLR AXS. Lidl-Trek is now using the large front chainring. With this, the team said goodbye to a double chainring, or in other words, a large and small front chainring. The idea was triggered after Technical Support Manager Glen Leven took to the gravel in Luxembourg in August of 2024 with only a large front chainring. "The bike changed gears incredibly well, even under high pressure."

Leven decided to study it. After presenting the options to the team, Pedersen agreed. He tested the Trek Madone bike with a single chainring in October and was wildly enthusiastic. "And the feedback was immediately unbelievably good: How stable this rear derailleur is performing under loads, even on bad roads, and you can properly shift." Therefore, they also tested on the cobblestones in January, this time with cyclist Alex Kirsch. "They said we will never go back to 2x on the cobbles because this is insane how good it is."

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That sounds like a great step, but where does Lidl-Trek see the real advantages of a single chainring compared to a double? There is a reason why all the big names use them in the spring. "The biggest benefit of the 1x setup for Lidl-Trek is that it reduces risk. The menacing roads at races like Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders have ended many promising rides due to mechanicals. One less chainring to shift means one less thing that can go wrong. The XPLR rear derailleur is built to be simple, fast, and resistant to impact."

So we are less likely to see Pedersen and co. standing on the side of the road, but beyond that? Does such a setup also yield watts or time? Lidl-Trek emphasizes that the '13-speed 10-46 cassette' gives riders exactly the same gear options as a double, but: "The biggest downside of riding 1x is the lack of gear options. But in the fastest gears, where riders largely reside during the relatively flat cobbled Classics, there should be no issues racing at a comfortable cadence. With a 54- or 56-tooth chainring, they'll have all the same gears available to them that they'd also use on, say, a Grand Tour sprint stage," the team says.

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For the Tour of Flanders, the question is whether Pedersen will gain an advantage using the single chainring. Lidl-Trek says: "On the Oude Kwaremont, Lidl-Trek riders may lose a few precious seconds due to the lack of options in the gears, but the XPLR will give them peace of mind. Leven: 'But Mads told me that in the past, he felt like he’d lose two-three seconds shifting from the small chainring to the front, just making sure that the chain is on before we accelerate again. YSo now we maybe lose three seconds to accelerate again, but we don’t have to worry about our chain not making it."

A wonderful story, because how important is that 'secret weapon' of Lidl-Trek really? "It's up to the riders. If they want double chainrings, the Lidl-Trek staff will provide them." This spring, after intensive testing, the team has opted for the XPLR for the athletes. Mads and the others are convinced that the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. The Trek Madone is one of the few bicycles that is compatible with both set-ups, making it easy to switch. "We can combine all possible set-ups with each other at SRAM, we have all the options," says Leven. "We are the first ones who are using it. And if anybody is doing the same next year, they’re just copying our idea."