Proud Lidl-Trek boss back to work full-time after 3 tough years: "U23 team immediately best in the world"
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Excellent news from Lidl-Trek: team boss Luca Guercilena has won the battle with lymphoma after three years. The Italian
shared in a retrospective on the 2024 season that he is back working full-time for his cycling team.
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"Fortunately, I'm still here," said Guercilena, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2021. "Of course, my health situation has had a great impact, but it has always been my dream to return. My first goal was to return to racing to see the riders in the new Lidl-Trek jersey. That happened finally this year, in Milan-Sanremo."
"After that, I set myself the goal of returning full-time, which I managed to do now. So now it is time to step to being a top team and winning many races," the CEO speaks with determination. "We had a good season, but the Tour de France failed due to our leader's crash, Mads Pedersen. Ultimately, we had to go for plan C, which made it a challenging task."
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Guercilena proud of U23 team: "Immediately the best team in first year"
"Furthermore, we have been very competitive, from the classics to the Giro with Milan and the autumn. So all in all, we can call it a good season, except for July,' said Guercilena, who was also proud of the formation's other sections. 'Our women's team had a perfect season. It was very successful even though we have eight riders who are under 25."
"The most successful team is the U23 section," he commented after the first year of the Lidl-Trek Development Team. "We have just started with that, but we are already the best team in our first year. We have invested a lot in locating talent, which has paid off immediately."
He concludes that in 2025, Guercilena hopes to continue the good line with his team. "We have to be solid in the next season and take another step in terms of progression; that's the goal."
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Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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Latest Comments
- - I’m still learning how cyclocross works: when he says he messed up the start at the Europeans, can a bad start really make that much difference?patriciaw14-11-2026
- - Love that he’s honest about the pressure. Hopefully he can carry this form through the winter.lindae14-11-2026
- - Beating different competition is the key now. Nys is already in the mix, and Van der Poel could make the next step a much tougher one.jennifer1914-11-2026
- - About time—Mason’s been knocking on the door for years. That Niel win could really open things up for him.cadencekingm14-11-2026
- I’m still learning how cyclocross works—does leading the Superprestige mean Mason is top of that race series, rather than the World Cup? Either way, winning in Belgium sounds like a massive result.cadencekingm13-11-2026
- Calling Onley a contender for an overall Tour win already feels a bit premature, especially after the injury setbacks. Still, the depth of talent is exciting.robert6513-11-2026
- Great to see Dickson’s route from triathlon to the WorldTour getting recognition. Scottish cycling has plenty to be proud of, and the 2027 Grand Départ could give the next generation a real lift.patriciaw13-11-2026
- The article makes a good case for clubs and small teams doing the groundwork, rather than one big development pipeline. Thornley’s Vuelta time trials were seriously impressive too; missing a stage win by two seconds is brutal.davidm13-11-2026
- Mason winning in Niel is huge—beating that kind of Belgian field in the mud takes serious class. The Kelvingrove World Cup could be an unforgettable homecoming.breakawaybikerd13-11-2026
- I’m not sure how WorldTour licences work—could these reports affect whether the team gets one next year, or is that decision based on other criteria?velodromevirtuoso113-11-2026