Lidl-Trek snatches another big name from Lotto-Intermarché: 'Left a lasting impression on all of us'

Lidl-Trek has struck again during the transfer window. Georg Zimmermann is joining the team. The German will be joining a WorldTour team from his home country for the first time. He is transferring from Lotto-Intermarché and has signed a three-year contract with the team that includes Mads Pedersen, Jonathan Milan, and Mattias Skjelmose.

Zimmermann has been a WorldTour pro since 2020, after leaving Tirol KTM and signing with CCC. After a year racing for a Polish team, he signed with Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, and with the Belgian team, he became a key member of the squad. Among other achievements, he won the Giro d'Abruzzo, a stage at the Critérium du Dauphiné, and competed in six Grand Tours while riding for the team.

In 2025, he became the German champion, and wearing those colors, he claimed what may have been the greatest victory of his career this year. Wearing the national champion’s jersey, he won the Eschborn-Frankfurt race in his home country. But following numerous rumours that he would be leaving Lotto-Intermarché, Lidl-Trek confirmed on its website that Zimmermann will race for them for the next three years.

"First of all, I'm incredibly happy to be joining Lidl-Trek," the rider says. Although he has always been a WorldTour pro, this is a new step in his career. “For the first seven years of my career, I rode for a smaller World Tour team, and now making the move to one of the major World Tour teams is a goal I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.”

Lidl-Trek has really broken through to the top of the cycling world in recent years. “I think the biggest change I’m looking forward to is that the tactics will shift a bit. In recent years, we mainly watched what the others were doing and adapted accordingly, but the big teams like Lidl-Trek are actively involved in shaping the race.”

"My goal for the duration of my contract is to truly become the best Georg Zimmerman I can be, with the best support. That means working with the best coaches, the best equipment, and the best nutritionist, and so on. To get the most out of my talent, and Lidl-Trek is the ideal place for me to reach my full potential.”

Team manager Andy Schleck is very pleased with Zimmermann’s experience. “Over the past six years in the WorldTour peloton, we’ve had the privilege of watching Georg develop into the talented and versatile rider he is today. His attitude, determination, and fearless racing style have left a lasting impression on all of us and have given us some unforgettable moments and remarkable victories along the way.”

Zimmermann's departure is one of many at Lotto-Intermarché. Arnaud De Lie, Lennert Van Eetvelt, and Liam Slock have already left the team. On the other hand, the team has signed Stan Dewulf, Clément Venturini, and Juan Sébastian Molano.