“It’s too early to say, but I’ll have a role similar to the one I had at Red Bull: domestique in Grand Tours. I could help a rider in the general classification or Nys, Pedersen, Milan… Or also be useful for riders like Ayuso or Ciccone,” Sobrero opens.
His response makes two things clear: that Lidl-Trek values his versatility and that he is prepared to integrate into either of the two key blocks, including the one Ayuso would lead in his debut with the U.S. team.
Juan Ayuso will hopefully find a great teammate in Matteo Sobrero
Evenepoel changed his plans
Sobrero also explains that his continuity in Red Bull – BORA was a real possibility, until the arrival of Remco Evenepoel altered the plans:
“The idea of staying was there. But they signed Remco and other projects came up,” he admits. That’s when Lidl-Trek came knocking on his door. And that call, he admits, had an immediate effect: “I always saw them as a united team. I felt there was harmony.”
That harmony, he says, was exactly what had been fading away in the German team: “Every year there were new arrivals and departures, and the team spirit got a bit lost,” he sums up.
His first contact with Lidl-Trek was in Germany, at a Lidl site where he carried out medical checks and logistical formalities. More than the practical details, it was the structural ambition of the team that impressed him:
“They don’t lack anything. They invest a lot, they are cutting-edge in preparation and nutrition. They have a plan for the future, and it’s clear: they want to be the best.” He puts them, without hesitation, in the same line of aspiration as UAE Team Emirates or Visma | Lease a Bike in their dominant eras.
But if there is one thing he values above technology and investment, it is the human dimension: “They are a first-class team, but there is also a stronger human relationship. That struck me. I think that was missing last year at Red Bull – BORA”.
Sobrero insists that he enjoys working for riders capable of finishing, but recalls that he can also take advantage of his moments. He cites his podium finish at the Tour de Pologne as an example of this and defines himself as a particularly useful profile in one-week tours with time trials, as well as some classics. “They were looking for a profile like mine,” he concluded.