Juan Ayuso will ride for Lidl-Trek starting January 1, but initially, not everyone within the American team seemed happy about it. Mattias Skjelmose expressed criticism about the arrival of an additional GC leader. According to team boss Luca Guercilena, the relationship between the upcoming teammates was part of the conversation during the first team camp. "They are both adults, so they can talk things through among themselves," he told Daniel Benson.
"If he finds it difficult to help Tadej (Pogacar, ed.), then I don’t know if he even wants to help me when it counts," Skjelmose said somewhat indignantly after his Lidl-Trek team announced Ayuso’s arrival. "They’ve been saying for a few years that they want to build a team around me, but I don’t think they brought him in as a domestique," the Dane continued.
“I can understand parts of his reaction, because if the team says you are the leader, then I can understand some frustration,” Ayuso responded to the Danish website Feltet. On the other hand, the Spaniard understands why Lidl-Trek signed him. “It’s normal for a top team to keep attracting strong riders.”
Ayuso and Skjelmose topic of discussion during team camp
It is up to team boss Guercilena to keep the relationship between his two GC leaders healthy. However, according to the Italian, that is not necessary. "They are both adults, so they can talk things through among themselves," he said.
"I think Mattias has done that as well. In the past, we have been successful in managing the expectations of all our riders, and if you look at the relationship between Juan and Mattias, that has been a topic of conversation in recent days."
Ayuso and Skjelmose shared the final podium of the Tour of the Basque Country in 2024 - photo: photo agency Cor Vos
The team leader refers to the Lidl-Trek team camp at Lidl Germany’s headquarters, where all staff and riders were present. During that week, it was also announced that Lidl had now acquired the majority of shares in the WorldTeam. The international supermarket chain therefore holds the most control within the cycling team.
Race calendars
According to Guercilena, there have not yet been discussions about setting the calendars for the upcoming season. “Last week, we mostly talked about welcoming the riders, not about the race calendars. That discussion will take place in November, around the 18th or 19th."
Whether Ayuso and Skjelmose will race a lot together next year remains to be seen. "But generally, I like it when we have riders with clear goals, and we will support those," says Guercilena. He emphasizes, however, that the team’s interests will always come first. "Every individual goal is noted, and we want to support our riders, but the team always comes first."
“Ultimately, it is my responsibility to make the tough decisions, and while I continue to do that, everyone must know that the team’s goals always come first,” he concludes.
