🎥 Lidl-Trek laughs, Lidl-Trek vries: Copponi wins, but Juan Pedro López disqualified in Australia

Lidl-Trek finished an Australian day with mixed feelings. The American cycling team wiped out the zero in the women's Schwalbe Classic by winning with Clara Copponi. However, among the men, things went wrong on the final day of the Tour Down Under with Juan Pedro López.

A press release from Lidl-Trek first extensively celebrated Copponi's victory because it was good. The 26-year-old French rider had been riding for the team for a year but won for the first time in American service. Her arms folded, she rolled across the line with a tremendous cheer. "It was a deal with the soigneurs to do this [celebration]. It was a joke, but I was feeling good the day before the race," she explained afterward.

Nevertheless, the way of cheering was meaningful, as Copponi had all the time to think about it. On a local circuit with a total of ninety kilometers of laps, a sprint was irreversible, and in it, Copponi was much faster than Georgia Baker (Liv AlUla Jayco) and Rachele Barbieri (Picnic PostNL). 'A win is always important, especially at the beginning of the season. It's super good, and I think it will be a good season for me.

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López disqualified at Tour Down Under

And then the bad news for Lidl-Trek: the disqualification of Juan Pedro López in the Tour Down Under. The 27-year-old Spaniard crossed the line in front of the camera by holding a water bottle from the neutral bike for seconds, hoping to catch up. This was seen by the jury, who had no choice but to disqualify.

It will make little difference for the climber, except for some reputational damage. He entered the sixth stage as number 39 in the GC and thus had nothing left to win. The team, therefore, obediently accepted the disqualification. "We respect and accept the jury's decision in this situation," said the short statement.

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Jakobsen suddenly faces three (!) sprint rivals in his own team: Who are they, and what does Picnic-PostNL plan to do with them?

Want to know when and where the most exciting races of 2025 will take place? Check out our updated 2025 cycling calendars for the men's and women's peloton!

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