Lidl-Trek has entered a new phase in its development, with Lidl formally taking an ownership stake in the team alongside Trek. The announcement, made at the Tour de France last week, signals a long-term commitment to competing at the top of both men’s and women’s cycling, at a time when the balance of power in the women’s peloton is shifting fast.
Michael Rogers, women’s team manager and assistant director, spoke to Cyclingnews at the Tour de France Femmes and acknowledged the broader context in which this news lands. The field is deeper, the racing more aggressive, and the team’s position in that mix is being tested.
“Obviously, Lidl coming on board has had a really positive impact on both teams,” Rogers said. “The team itself, on the women’s side, has always been a force.”
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Thomas MaheuxThat force is now evolving. The retirement of Lizzie Deignan and the confirmation this evening on De Avondetappe that Ellen van Dijk will also retire at the end of the 2025 season mark the closing chapter for two of the most important riders in the team’s history. Van Dijk returned to racing in 2024 after missing the previous season to have her first child, and showed strong form again this spring, winning the Vuelta Extremadura Féminas and finishing second at Amstel Gold Race.
Their exits come as Lidl-Trek looks to the next wave. Yet 2025 hasn’t been without its challenges. Gaia Realini, who looked destined to be one of the sport’s premier climbers after her breakout 2023 season, has struggled to match that level this year. Elisa Balsamo, still the team’s most prolific points scorer, has endured another rough Tour de France Femmes, with a best finish of 27th in the first four stages despite high hopes for the early sprint opportunities.
“She’s been unlucky again,” Rogers admitted. “But the level is also incredibly high.”
The weight of expectation now increasingly falls on younger riders coming through the ranks. Isabella Holmgren’s seventh-place finish at the Giro d’Italia Women earlier this month is a standout, and the Canadian is part of a growing group of Lidl-Trek prospects that includes her twin sister Ava Holmgren and Belgian all-rounder Fleur Moors. The team’s structure is being recalibrated to support these riders with long-term development, not short-term pressure.
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Pauline Ballet“That first round of champion athletes is moving towards retirement and their last years,” said Rogers. “But we’ve also got a new wave of young ones coming through. That second line is there and the involvement of Lidl is allowing us to take a really long-term view on that second wave.”
Anna Henderson now serves as a bridge between those two generations. A mainstay in the team’s spring classics and time trials, she offers reliability and versatility, but is also increasingly important in helping guide younger riders in high-pressure environments like the Tour.
Rogers stressed that Lidl-Trek’s development approach won’t be defined by high-profile signings alone. “I think the way cycling is going… it’s that natural growth, rather than just cutting and pasting an athlete from one team into another,” he said.
He pointed to the risk involved in pulling riders out of familiar systems and expecting immediate results, instead favouring a more integrated process. “We’re not saying we won’t look into that, but I think we have to be really careful.”
Photo Credit: A.S.O./Pauline BalletWith Lidl’s investment now deepened through co-ownership, part of the funding will go towards a performance and recovery centre designed to provide riders with improved support infrastructure. The timing aligns with the growing competitiveness of the Women’s WorldTour, where teams like FDJ-SUEZ and UAE Team ADQ are increasingly disrupting the long-standing SD Worx-Protime vs Lidl-Trek narrative.
“The moment you stop evolving is the moment you stop performing,” said Rogers. “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.”
As the likes of van Dijk and Deignan prepare to leave the peloton, Lidl-Trek is placing its bets on a new generation. And with ownership, infrastructure, and a clear development focus now in place, the next phase of that evolution has already begun.
