{"id":1010820,"date":"2026-06-07T08:14:17","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T08:14:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1010820\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T08:14:17","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T08:14:17","slug":"theyre-spending-a-lot-of-money-many-people-are-unhappy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1010820\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cThey\u2019re spending a lot of money, many people are unhappy\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Bruyneel explained that merger never truly worked. \u201cMergers don\u2019t work,\u201d he stated bluntly on the podcast. He also said that, even when bringing major sponsors and riders, he always felt he was seen as an intruder within the ‘old team’.<\/p>\n

The former sports director recalled that Luca Guercilena has been fundamental in turning Lidl-Trek into one of the strongest teams in the world. \u201cHe has built this team over the last fourteen years,\u201d he said. For Bruyneel, the Italian managed to stabilise and develop the structure even through extremely difficult periods.<\/p>\n

One aspect that most angered the Belgian was how Guercilena was reportedly sidelined. \u201cI don\u2019t think they\u2019ve handled this correctly,\u201d he noted. Bruyneel<\/a> also recalled that the Italian overcame very serious health issues while still managing the team from home and keeping everything under control.\"Juan<\/p>\n

Juan Ayuso with Lidl-Trek<\/p>\n

Lidl-Trek shifts its identity<\/p>\n

Spencer Martin also felt the move was extremely aggressive<\/b>. He noted that Lidl-Trek had spent months making significant changes in both recruitment and technical structure. \u201cThe team\u2019s identity is changing completely,\u201d he summed up during the discussion.<\/p>\n

The arrival of Andy Schleck<\/b> as CEO was another hot topic. Bruyneel made clear he has many doubts about that decision. \u201cAndy\u2019s been a cyclist and run a bike shop, but this is a different league,\u201d he said bluntly on the show.<\/p>\n

The Belgian insisted that leading a modern structure requires business experience and organisational capacity. Lidl-Trek now includes men\u2019s, women\u2019s, development, and junior projects. \u201cThese are huge organisations,\u201d Bruyneel explained to justify his doubts about the new leadership.<\/p>\n

Another major move was hiring Grischa Niermann<\/b> from Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Spencer Martin recalled that the German was a key figure inside Jonas Vingegaard\u2019s team. \u201cWhen you think of Visma, you picture him in the car,\u201d he said during the analysis.<\/p>\n

Bruyneel acknowledged he understands Niermann\u2019s personal decision. As he explained, Lidl-Trek offers financial stability and likely a much more significant contract. \u201cIt\u2019s the opportunity of his life,\u201d the former sports director admitted during the conversation with Spencer Martin.<\/p>\n

However, the Belgian stressed he still sees a major issue in the accumulation of inexperienced profiles. \u201cToo many new people are arriving at the same time in critical roles,\u201d he said. For Bruyneel, it would have made far more sense to keep Guercilena<\/b> overseeing the entire transition.<\/p>\n

Spencer Martin partially agreed, arguing that a more gradual handover would have projected much greater stability. \u201cEverything feels too abrupt,\u201d he noted as they reviewed the internal changes currently reshaping Lidl-Trek.<\/p>\n

Bruyneel also said there is strong internal unrest within the team.<\/b> \u201cFrom what I hear inside, a lot of people are unhappy,\u201d he stated on the podcast. He explained that several long-serving employees are being pushed aside as new, mainly German, managers arrive.<\/p>\n

The ex-manager believes Lidl is trying to transform the structure\u2019s culture completely. He recalled that the German company now owns most of the project. \u201cDecisions are now made by Lidl,\u201d he said during the debate with Spencer Martin.<\/p>\n

According to Bruyneel, there is a clear intent to Germanise the team. The Belgian pointed out that many of the new technical and administrative hires come from Germany. He also noted that even the team\u2019s operations centre was moved from Belgium to German territory.<\/p>\n

\"Madd<\/p>\n

Madd Pedersen at the 2026 Tour of Flanders\u00a0<\/p>\n

Bruyneel unequivocal on Lidl-Trek<\/p>\n

Another aspect that concerned both analysts was the team\u2019s huge spending. Bruyneel said he had heard rumors about budget issues driven by very high salaries. \u201cThey\u2019re spending an enormous amount of money,\u201d he said while dissecting Lidl-Trek\u2019s strategy.<\/p>\n

Even so, the Belgian acknowledged that Lidl has virtually unlimited financial resources<\/b> for modern cycling. \u201cMoney can solve a lot of problems,\u201d he admitted on the podcast. However, he stressed that big spending does not automatically build a winning structure.<\/p>\n

Spencer Martin then drew an interesting comparison with Visma. He noted that the Dutch team has dominated the Grand Tours for several seasons. That success, he explained, was built on years of stability, structure, and internal continuity.<\/p>\n

Bruyneel fully agreed with that view. \u201cVisma built everything step by step,\u201d he said during the analysis. For the Belgian, Lidl-Trek is trying to accelerate too fast a process that normally takes years to bed in properly within professional cycling.<\/p>\n

\"Mads<\/p>\n

Lidl-Trek at Paris-Roubaix 2026<\/p>\n

The debate also revisited the historical origins of Leopard-Trek. Bruyneel recalled that several riders left Saxo Bank because they wanted a less rigid environment. \u201cIt felt like Club Med,\u201d he said, quoting what one of the team\u2019s owners told him years ago.<\/p>\n

Spencer Martin even brought up a documentary from that era where the atmosphere seemed extremely laid-back. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t what I expected from a Tour-contending team,\u201d he said during the discussion. Both agreed that this philosophy still influences some current decisions.<\/p>\n

Despite all the criticism, Bruyneel acknowledged that the project can still work.<\/b> \u201cI might have to eat my words,\u201d he admitted near the end of the podcast. Even so, he made it clear that he sees it as very risky to change so many key pieces at the same time.<\/p>\n

The overall takeaway from Johan Bruyneel and Spencer Martin is clear: Lidl-Trek is at a decisive moment. The team has money, ambition, and the pull to attract talent. But it also faces internal doubts, organisational tensions, and an extremely delicate transition.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Bruyneel explained that merger never truly worked. \u201cMergers don\u2019t work,\u201d he stated bluntly on the podcast. He…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1010821,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4104],"tags":[4230,186087,184916,20358,280003,79,16,15],"class_list":["post-1010820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cycling","tag-cycling","tag-johan-bruyneel","tag-juan-ayuso","tag-lidl-trek","tag-luca-guercilena","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116707831817645554","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1010820"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1010820\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1010821"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1010820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1010820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1010820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}