Proud Lidl-Trek boss back to work full-time after 3 tough years: "U23 team immediately best in the world"

"Fortunately, I'm still here," said Guercilena, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2021. "Of course, my health situation has had a great impact, but it has always been my dream to return. My first goal was to return to racing to see the riders in the new Lidl-Trek jersey. That happened finally this year, in Milan-Sanremo."

"After that, I set myself the goal of returning full-time, which I managed to do now. So now it is time to step to being a top team and winning many races," the CEO speaks with determination. "We had a good season, but the Tour de France failed due to our leader's crash, Mads Pedersen. Ultimately, we had to go for plan C, which made it a challenging task."

"Furthermore, we have been very competitive, from the classics to the Giro with Milan and the autumn. So all in all, we can call it a good season, except for July,' said Guercilena, who was also proud of the formation's other sections. 'Our women's team had a perfect season. It was very successful even though we have eight riders who are under 25."

"The most successful team is the U23 section," he commented after the first year of the Lidl-Trek Development Team. "We have just started with that, but we are already the best team in our first year. We have invested a lot in locating talent, which has paid off immediately."

He concludes that in 2025, Guercilena hopes to continue the good line with his team. "We have to be solid in the next season and take another step in terms of progression; that's the goal."