Interview | Lidl-Trek guards against overconfidence with Skjelmose: "Finishing third would be nice, but we don't count on it"

This week, Trek-Segafredo will become Lidl-Trek, and they will participate in the Tour de France and Giro Donne under that new name. A very busy period lies ahead for Team Support Manager Koen de Kort, who still found time to speak with IDLProCycling.com during the Dutch National Championships.

Logistically, it's quite a challenge to undergo such a transition in the middle of the season, just before two major races. Think about all the new jerseys that need to be in the right place, all the equipment that needs rebranding, and all the other aspects involved in a mid-season sponsor switch.

In that sense, it was already a miracle that De Kort acted as a team director for a team formed specifically for the Dutch National Championships. "We have Ide Schelling, Pascal Eenkhoorn, Daan Hoole, and the two Baloise Trek Lions cyclocrossers, Lars van der Haar and Joris Nieuwenhuis. The team wanted to support our riders with a team car in the race, and to participate in the Championships, you need at least five riders. So, the question came up if I could arrange a few additional riders. Normally, Steven de Jongh takes care of this, but he asked me if I could take over this time."

De Kort understands it's no fun for Mollema

Initially, from Lidl-Trek's perspective, the intention was for Hoole to participate in the Dutch National Championships, as Bauke Mollema skipped the race in preparation for the Tour de France. However, in the end, Hoole was informed that he would not be selected for the race. "I don't think it's nice for Bauke," says De Kort, who has no say in the selection process. "He obviously wants to race. Only eight riders can go to the Tour, and ultimately, the team has to make a choice, which turned out this way. I believe Bauke is someone who always deserves to go to the Tour, but this time it just didn't work out."

In the formation led by De Kort, many eyes will be on Mattias Skjelmose, the young Danish rider who won the Tour de Suisse. "I know Skjelmose quite well. I have ridden with him before, and recently, I have been working a lot with him on his time trial. We went to the wind tunnel together, and I made the car trip from Paris to Andorra with him."

Is the clever Dane capable of stepping onto the podium alongside riders like Jonas Vingegaard and Tadej Pogacar? "It would be really nice to finish third, but we are not counting on it. He is a super-focused rider who knows exactly what he needs to do and what sacrifices he needs to make. He has developed a clear plan for himself, and he is willing to do what it takes."

Lidl-Trek is handling Skjelmose cautiously: "He's still very young"

Skjelmose comes across as a confident rider, having received assistance from another Danish leader within Lidl-Trek: Mads Pedersen. "Mattias has also become a good leader, and he has had many conversations with Mads about it. Mads is very good at that, and Skjelmose is starting to grasp it as well. It makes it easy to work for him and go the extra mile," says De Kort, who visibly enjoys working with these men.

"He knows exactly what he needs to do, and when he achieves that, you can't help but have confidence," the Dutchman continues. "He understands very well that with a plan and structure, he can go very far."

Still, De Kort is cautious about getting carried away, considering that we are still dealing with a 22-year-old rider. "From the team's perspective, he can ride with low expectations. We shouldn't assume that he will finish on the podium because he is still very young and has many years ahead of him. It's not necessary to put that pressure on him. I believe he can handle those three weeks, but we'll see."

And so Lidl-Trek heads to the tour without Mollema, but with many other prominent riders on the team. "We have a well-balanced team, with riders like Gallopin and López who can be crucial in supporting roles," says De Kort, who doesn't anticipate any issues with teamwork. "Mads also has his own dreams when racing, as do Jasper Stuyven and Guilio Ciccone, but when it comes down to it, everyone aligns their focus in support of Skjelmose."

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