There was smoke so there was fire, but in 2026, how will Lidl-Trek make sure that fire doesn't flare up again?

December is here and that means we slowly but surely go through the last few team reports. Those are structurally the best scoring teams of the year and so this time we go through Lidl-Trek, the team that saw Lidl acquire a majority stake and already managed to take a big step towards the absolute top teams this year.

Lidl-Trek had a pretty successful year and in the process it also caught won in big classics. One of the biggest, at least in terms of surprise, was Mattias Skjelmose's victory in the Amstel Gold Race. The Dane outsmarted Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel in the sprint.

Just as impressive as his compatriot's victory was Mads Pedersen's demonstration in Gent-Wevelgem, where he successfully completed a 56-kilometer solo. There were further victories by Edward Theuns (Bredene Koksijde Classic), Thibau Nys (GP Miguel Indurain), Skjelmose (Andorra MoraBanc Clàssica) and Jonathan Milan (Championship of Flanders).

In the biggest classics, Lidl-Trek was certainly on the rendezvous, with good results in Liège (Ciccone, second), the E3 (Pedersen, second), Roubaix (Pedersen, third) and Lombardy (Quinn Simmons, fourth). The German-American formation actually competed for wins everywhere and you can't ask much more from a cycling team.

In total, the formation won 46 times, which does include nine national champion jerseys. The team won mostly in stage races, including overall victories in the Tour of Denmark and the Tour de la Provence. Furthermore, it strung together stage wins, especially thanks to Milan, who managed to win seven stages at WorldTour-level.

Two of these were in the Tour de France, where Skjelmose unfortunately had to abandon after crashing. For his part, Pedersen did the Giro and the Vuelta, in which he was extremely successful. In Italy, the Dane won four times, won the purple jersey and wore the pink for almost a week, while in Spain another stage win and the green jersey followed.

Lidl-Trek thus had stage wins in all three Grand Tours, and whether it was the UAE Tour, Paris-Nice, Dauphiné, Tour of Catalonia or Tour of Switzerland: Lidl-Trek managed to win there. It wore leader's jerseys and won an awful lot, often in spectacular and dominant fashion.

The idea was to get closer to the absolute top teams in cycling, and Lidl-Trek succeeded in 2025. The team dominated in some areas, actually competed in the front everywhere and, after all, ended up winning quite a lot. It earned the formation a good rating: a 7.9, according to our (former) editors.

Remco Evenepoel may have gone to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe, yet it was Lidl-Trek that managed to provide perhaps the most high-profile transfer of the winter. The formation managed to sign Juan Ayuso from UAE after a tumultuous period and soon found itself in the news with his new team as well, following remarkable statements by Skjelmose. By now, it would be outspoken.

In addition, with Mathias Norgaard, Matteo Sobrero and Max Walscheid, it managed to add three important riders to its roster. Like Jakob Söderqvist, the fifth (and so far last) addition, they are riders with a pretty big engine. At least leaders will no longer have to worry about the flat sections.

Six said goodbye to Lidl-Trek, with Tim Declercq and Ryan Gibbons ending their careers. New adventure awaits Daan Hoole at Decathlon CMA CGM, while Jasper Stuyven left for Soudal Quick-Step. Finally, the team loses Alex Kirsch and Juan Pedro López to Cofidis and Movistar respectively.

(For now) incoming: Juan Ayuso (UAE Emirates-XRG), Mathias Norgaard (Movistar), Matteo Sobrero (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Jakob Söderqvist (own training team) and Max Walscheid (Jayco AlUla)

(For now) outgoing: Tim Declercq, Ryan Gibbons (both quit), Daan Hoole (Decathlon CMA CGM), Alex Kirsch (Cofidis), Juan Pedro López (Movistar) and Jasper Stuyven (Soudal Quick-Step)

The most interesting development to follow will undoubtedly be Ayuso's development with his new team. Where can the Spaniard perform and how will his relationship with his teammates be? There was, as mentioned above, already some smoke and thus some fire, but Lidl-Trek quickly put out the fire.

For GC-work, the team doesn't have much else, as Ciccone left that ambition behind for good this year. On paper, Skjelmose is one of the formation's few leaders, as Tao Geoghegan Hart has not been able to reach his level of the COVID era for a while.

Furthermore, despite its ever-growing success, Lidl-Trek was already structurally building for the future. Albert Withen Philipsen is considered a top talent and in 2026, we will also see Söderqvist's first complete year at the highest level. With the talented Nys, Mathias Vacek and also the still only 24-year-old Simmons, there is still enough margin to grow in the team.