Pidcock gets a surprise new teammate as Lidl-Trek's buying spree causes key player to leave

Giulio Ciccone may be on his way out of Lidl-Trek, according to the typically well-informed HLN and La Gazzetta dello Sport. The two outlets report that the 31-year-old Italian—who has been one of the team’s key riders in recent years—may be allowed to leave, as Lidl-Trek already has one too many riders on its roster for 2027.

Ciccone has been one of Lidl-Trek’s team leaders for several years now. The Italian made his breakthrough with Bardiani-CSF, where, as a 21-year-old in 2016, he immediately won a stage at the Giro d’Italia. He has been riding for the team—now known as Lidl-Trek—since 2019 and has evolved from an attacking climber and puncher into a rider who can also play a leading role in grueling stage races and classics.

His list of achievements now includes three Giro stage wins, and he also won the mountains classification in the Giro d’Italia in 2019 and 2026. In 2024, he also won the polka-dot jersey in the Tour de France, the race in which he had previously worn the yellow jersey for two days. In recent years, Ciccone has made great strides in his development and, for a time, seemed poised to become a formidable stage racer.

In 2023, he won stages in the Tour of Valencia, the Tour of Catalonia, and the Critérium du Dauphiné, among others. After a 2024 season marred by physical problems, he still managed to finish the season with a third-place finish in Il Lombardia. In 2025, he confirmed that he is among the world’s best in major one-day races as well: Ciccone finished second in Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

Because Ciccone consistently struggled with physical discomfort during Grand Tours, in 2026 he shifted his focus back to winning stages and one-day races. He had already won the Clásica San Sebastián in 2025, and this year everything is geared toward a top result at the World Championships in Montreal on September 27. His status within Lidl-Trek seemed uncontested for a long time, but it now appears that an opening may be emerging after all.

There had been rumors circulating for some time this year that team manager Luca Guercilena’s departure from Lidl-Trek, Lidl’s onboarding as the German title sponsor, and a shift in focus on the transfer market might prompt some changes regarding Ciccone. The Italian was linked to UAE Emirates-XRG, among others, but another team now seems like a real possibility.

Pinarello-Q36.5 is reportedly interested in Ciccone, provided he is able to terminate the contract he extended last winter, which runs through the end of 2029. With Juan Ayuso, Felix Gall, Derek Gee-West, and Mattias Skjelmose, Lidl-Trek has a diverse lineup of stage racers for 2027, along with Thibau Nys, Quinn Simmons, and a host of other punchers on the roster for the upcoming season.

There’s still plenty of room on the Pinarello-Q36.5 roster, with only 22 riders currently listed for 2027. The Swiss team has Tom Pidcock as its star rider and has already attracted some interesting names, including Mauro Schmid, AJ August, sprinter Pavel Bittner, and Sebastian Berwick, but Ciccone would be in a league of his own.

In recent months, Pinarello-Q36.5 has been linked to team leaders such as Paul Seixas thanks to its enormous financial clout, but with its Pro Continental status, it naturally lags behind its WorldTour competitors. Nevertheless, the team is also in the running for Primoz Roglic, according to HLN. Whoever swoops in to take him, the Slovenian is set to leave Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe.