When Lidl-Trek formed in 2019, it quickly became one of the only teams that had the wherewithal to challenge the top women’s team of the time, Boels Dolmans – now known as SD Worx-Protime – off the top spot in the rankings. This year that has changed.
The field has reshuffled with transfers and a number of teams are upping the resources in pursuit of the top, with some considerable success. Lidl-Trek has also now announced a step that should help it up the ante as it functions within an increasingly competitive field.
On Friday it was announced at the Tour de France that supermarket chain Lidl was planning to take an ownership stake, becoming a co-owner with Trek, as it increases its involvement and resources. Some have been earmarked for a state-of-the-art performance centre for athlete health, recovery and performance analysis. What does this mean more specifically for the women’s team?
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“Obviously, Lidl coming on board has had a really positive impact, on both teams,” women’s team manager and assistant director at Lidl-Trek, Michael Rogers, told Cyclingnews at the start of stage 3 of the Tour de France Femmes. “The team itself, on the women’s side, has always been a force.”
Though, It’s not just the climate that it is operating in that is stepping into a new era, the team is too. Elisa Longo Borghini, one of the original members of the squad, has moved on as has Lizzie Deignan, who was the original headline signing for the team while in her third-trimester of pregnancy, and announced that her professional career is now over.
“That first round of champion athletes is moving towards retirement and their last years, but have also got a new wave of young ones coming through,” said Rogers.
“That second line is there and the involvement of Lidl is allowing us to take a really long-term view on that second wave of young riders.”
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Lidl-Trek’s biggest points earner at the moment is 27-year-old sprinter Elisa Balsamo, but they have the likes of Niamh Fisher-Black and Gaia Realini, both 24, well on the way as General Classification challengers.
A raft of younger talent developing ranges from 2023 junior women’s world time trial champion Felicity Wilson-Haffenden to twin sisters Ava and Isabella Holmgren, the latter who recently came seventh overall at the Giro d’Italia Women.
Team evolution at Tour de France Femmes
It’s a timely boost in investment for Lidl-Trek. SD Worx-Protime and the US-registered squad once stood head and shoulders above their rivals but now with the rapid rise of FDJ-SUEZ and UAE Team ADQ that has changed, and there are also a collection of other teams squarely in the GC battle as we speak at the Tour de France Femmes.
“The evolution is just, I would say, mind boggling. When you saw the last two days of racing here, it’s been such a change, how dynamic it is, how aggressive it’s being raced,” said Rogers at the start of stage 3.
“I mean, even if we go back two or three years ago it’s, I’m not going to say a different sport, but it’s completely changed.
“I think in the past, a lot of the talent was centralised in a few teams and I think it’s a really positive sign for the development of women’s cycling that those champions now are starting to be distributed among more teams, which leads to much more dynamic racing.”
Though, of course that means that it’s a constant battle to stay at the front.
“The moment you stop evolving is the moment you stop performing,” said Rogers, who started with Lidl-Trek late last year after having been the head of road and innovation at the UCI. “Tactically we’re seeing teams anticipate a lot earlier, being a lot more aggressive, but it’s making for great racing too, and the level just keeps increasing.”
So, judging by this season’s list of big transfers, does the level of competition for top riders. Still Rogers said a boost in resources doesn’t necessarily mean they will be on the chase for an established big name rider.
“I think the way cycling is going, and I speak across both the men and women, it’s that natural growth, rather than just cutting and pasting an athlete from from one team into another,” said Rogers.
“The more more we go ahead, I think it’s becoming evident that there’s a risk to that. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, but there is also a risk because everyone has their way, each team has their way of working and there’s relationships of coaches and support staff there.
“So we are not saying we won’t do that that we won’t look into that, but I think we have to be really careful, because we’ve seen it so many time across the sport, where riders come from a structure that they’ve been in many years and when you take them out, there is a period of adaption.”
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