With Mattias Skjelmose and newcomer Juan Ayuso, Lidl-Trek already has two leaders on board, but according to Het Laatste Nieuws, the ambitious team is working behind the scenes to further strengthen its Grand Tour core. In this search for reinforcement, Lidl-Trek has set its sights on Florian Lipowitz.
The fact that the team has settled on the 25-year-old German rider is certainly understandable. The German supermarket chain Lidl has been the main sponsor since mid-2023, but will soon become the majority shareholder of the American team. Bike manufacturer Trek, as the team's founder, will also retain a significant share. With this structural change, Lidl-Trek aims to become the best cycling team in the world.
With Lidl's arrival as the main sponsor, there has been a significant financial boost and the performances have steadily improved. Whereas the team was ranked twelfth in the UCI Teams Ranking at the end of 2022, it rose to fifth in 2023 and fourth in 2024. In 2025, Lidl-Trek finished second in the Team Ranking. According to HLN, the team can soon also count on two new co-sponsors.
Florian LipowitzIn other words, Lidl-Trek is a very German-tinged team and currently has Florian Lipowitz as the best German Grand Tour rider. How long the third-place finisher of the past Tour de France is tied to his current employer Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe is not entirely clear. However, sources close to him assure WielerFlits that he has at least a contract until the end of 2026.
Lipowitz (right) on the final podium in Paris, alongside Pogacar and Vingegaard - photo: Fotopersburo Cor Vos
This year, Lipowitz had his breakthrough at the highest level. The German finished second in Paris-Nice, fourth in the Tour of the Basque Country, and third in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but his main achievement came in the Tour de France. Lipowitz emerged as one of the best climbers in the race, won the young rider classification, and above all, finished third overall.
