Visma | Lease a Bike? Lidl-Trek! "In five years, we may be the team people look up to"

Visma | Lease a Bike leads, UAE-Team Emirates challenges, and many other teams in the background are fueled by ambition. Since the summer of 2023, with Lidl-Trek joining the WorldTour, the team has become a major player, a status that was further strengthened this winter with several targeted acquisitions. IDLProCycling.com recently had an extensive conversation with team director Steven de Jongh, who guided us through the matter from A to Z. About more budget, more ambitions, more winning and much more...

I have spoken with many riders today, and everyone is burning with ambition. How do you feel heading into a new season? It must be great working for Lidl-Trek right now...

"Yes, definitely. It was always nice working here, but now it's even more pleasant. The quality of the riders has improved, the number of staff members has increased... That means we have more time to prepare things, you can pay more attention to nutrition, and with more trainers, there's a more individual approach."

Let's start with the larger staff. All the riders are talking about how you're going to do things differently in terms of nutrition, can you explain that a bit more?

"We had a limited budget, so in terms of nutrition, we were also limited. We had two chefs, and you can't take them to all the races throughout the year. That's now improving across the board. For the first time, we'll have chefs during training camps, and that's a direct result of having more budget. Previously, with a limited budget, we had to identify our goals. Then we used our money at the times when we needed and wanted to perform. Now, we can do that at multiple times in the year, which is just really nice."

Mattias Skjelmose mentioned that you also weren't able to go to the Teide (Tenerife) in February because Visma | Lease a Bike rented out an entire hotel...

"Yes, but we also didn't have the financial resources for it. Soon, however, we will be at altitude during that period, and with a stronger selection, we can free up riders for such a high-altitude training camp. In past years, we had a few riders who were achieving results, and if we had sent them to train at altitude, we would have been left with nothing. Then we wouldn't have been able to score points, and you need those for the UCI ranking. It was quite a big puzzle. Now, we have such a strong selection that some guys will be disappointed that they can't participate in certain races."

Mads Pedersen said that his calendar in 2023 might not have been ideal. Is he the kind of guy you're going to use differently in 2024?

"Yes, we can now spare and phase a rider like him much better. You can plan out great phases of racing, resting, training and then performing again. That's a big advantage of the fact that, in addition to Mads, we now have another top sprinter in Jonathan Milan."

Did you bring Milan on board for the sprints?

"Mads and Milan won't be racing many events together. They will each have their own team and dedicated lead-out for races. We aim to perform well with both of them through two different programs. They will race together in events like Milan-San Remo and Paris-Roubaix, but Mads has proven that he performs best there, so he will be the leader. Of course, that could change in the future."

When you consider nutrition, training and the larger budget: do these provide the extra three to four percent needed for someone like Pedersen to win a Monument?

"I do think those small details will play a part. We now have control over things that we didn't control before. That's an advantage."

After the last two seasons, are you looking more closely at how Visma | Lease a Bike does things?

"All the teams look at what the others do, but you're always limited by your own budget. In 2023 we did very well, but of course, we couldn't compete with such teams in terms of support and budget. Now, we can make some broader strides and hopefully, we can do that again next year, so that in five years we might be the team that others look up to."

Visma is still the team that sets the tone across the board, wouldn't you say?

"Yes, and we definitely look at what they do, but you also have to be able to do the same things. It's very frustrating when you have to pin your hopes on specific strategies, like: we'll make it happen here and here. And if one of those falls through... With diversification, you hope to achieve the maximum effect, and that's how we had a good year. We finished top five in the UCI ranking, which was the first time since 2017. We want to build on that."

A year ago, you said that Giulio Ciccone just needs to race comfortably, and then you would see if a general classification could be achieved. After the best year of his career, he now wants to go for a general classification in the Giro... He must have surprised you, it seems?

"Not really, actually. We all know how good Ciccone is, and I think he just has things sorted out personally now. He's married, very stable and his wife gives him a lot of mental peace. He has found his place and knows what he needs to do in terms of training and nutrition to be good. His confidence was evident in 2023, in particular with that mountain jersey in the Tour that he really won for himself. Nobody handed it to him. That was a beautiful example of how much he has grown."

So, for you, he is now a general classification rider in the grand tours?

"If everything is going right for Ciccone, he can finish top five in the Giro. He just has to try. He has enough class to handle it."

Even on this course? I was quite surprised by his general classification ambitions, with two long time trials and relatively fewer tough mountain stages...

"He knows that the time trial is his weak point, but now we're working on that in detail, with his position and steering and such. There's more budget for that, and especially for more riders. Normally, we spend that budget on one or two specialists, but now we can work with eight or nine riders on the time trial. We have never specifically worked on Ciccone's position before. There's really a lot to be gained there. It will be motivating if he feels that progress."

After the Giro, you are heading to the Tour with Tao Geoghegan Hart, who has spent a whole year rehabilitating. That is putting a lot of trust in him, but it is also a risk, right?

"It's too early to say if he'll be as good as in 2023, but he's on the right track. He took his time with the rehabilitation and things are looking good."

I really see him as a Lidl-Trek rider. Do you get what I mean?

"Yes, after a camp in America and several conversations, I believe he fits in very well in this team. He has a good connection with many guys here and is already emerging as a real leader."

Is the arrival of Sam Oomen linked in any way to Geoghegan Hart joining the team?

"Sam's name did come up from Tao's side. His contract was ending at Visma | Lease a Bike, and we were looking for that kind of rider. A lucky combination of circumstances, I guess."

What are your goals with Geoghegan Hart in the Tour? He doesn't want to put a number on it, but you must have something in mind?

"Ultimately, with a rider like that, you hope to achieve the highest possible result, whether that's top five or a podium finish. In his first year with us, we give him full trust, and if he digs deep, gives it all he's got and finishes eighth, that's already a big step after his injury. Looking at how Bernal and Froome have come back, it's just a question mark. It was a serious injury, but he gets our trust, and we'll see how it goes."

Did you have any doubts about signing him because of his injury?

"Well, we had already secured his contract by then. But the trust always remained, and there was a lot of contact during that time. You bring in a rider like that because you have a certain goal in mind. You don’t immediately give up on him because of an injury like that. In terms of personality, he fits in very well with our team, and if he comes back strong, we'll have a great leader in Tao. He was riding very well in the 2023 Giro, so who knows what was lost with that crash. His program is aimed at being good in the Tour, and hopefully, it goes as planned."

On to the final grand tour: Skjelmose in the Vuelta... Did you have any doubts about placing him elsewhere?

"Not at all, this was entirely Mattias's decision. And considering the season Mattias had in 2023, he simply deserves that trust, with a strong team around him. He started last season with ambitions in the Tour, after a good Tour de Suisse (Skjelmose won the overall classification, ed.), and when it didn't go as planned, he did a great job for Ciccone’s mountain jersey with Pedersen. There was never any pressure, even when his form dropped. When he then asks to go after the classification in the Vuelta, after a season like that with many victories, we simply can’t say no."

Maybe swap Skjelmose and Ciccone?

"Well, racing in Italy is just very special for Ciccone, and we get more out of that. If Mattias has already put his mind on the Vuelta, you have to let him ride that. That works best."

I also spoke with Bauke Mollema... What will his role be in all this?

"Bauke, and I can be honest about this, did not have the top season we are used to from him. It was a difficult year, so it very much depends on how Bauke rides - with all those guys who have come in. If he reaches the form and level he had before 2023, he will be considered for many races and will operate in a role like that of Robert Gesink. If he doesn't reach his level, it will be very difficult for Bauke to race the big races."

A role like Gesink, already? No more free role?

"A free role is difficult in a general classification team, but Bauke can still be of great value if he reaches his level. He's not stupid and knows the situation. He will be motivated to show what he can still do. After he was dropped from the Tour de France last year, we had a conversation with him. He himself said that he wouldn't mind working as a domestique, and that was the first time he expressed that. He was still one of our leaders in 2023 and didn't make the Tour selection because he didn't reach the level. So, it's good that he said this. Now we know he really wants that, but it means he has to reach that level as a domestique."

So, you're not worried about a lesser season?

"He was a bit behind and didn't prepare for the Vuelta like he normally does. Normally Bauke goes to altitude, and now he prepared for the Vuelta mostly in the Netherlands. He has realized that wasn't ideal. He is now very motivated not to let a year like 2023 happen again. For us, he's a question mark: can he still reach that level or not? Ultimately, Bauke is a top rider, so you should never write him off. He can still do it, though maybe not every day for three weeks. It would be great if he delivers on the days we count on him."

We already mentioned Sam Oomen... A nice rider to have on the team?

"Absolutely. Sam has had some physical problems, and I think a bit of confidence is missing. I hope he finds that back with our team and can perform again in a more relaxed environment."

If Oomen is good, is he someone who can go to the Tour?

"Sam is definitely on the list of riders who are under consideration, yes. We have a shortlist of thirteen for the Tour, and there are a lot of question marks. Sam and Bauke are on it. They themselves hold the key."

What needs to materialise for your 2024 season to be called a success?

"Last year we won 27 races. That number should be higher, considering the team we have. We finished fifth in the UCI ranking, and I think we can now fight for the third or fourth place. You have Visma and UAE and then there is a group including BORA, INEOS Grenadiers, us and Quick Step. We can all fight for those third, fourth and fifth places. I would personally be happy with that."

The Lidl-Trek project seems like a long-term one, doesn't it?

"Yes, definitely! That's what I like about things here. We're not trying to grow explosively right away. We're going from two to three chefs and from one nutritionist to two. It's not suddenly four or five at a time, but step by step. It's harder to manage things that way. It's more difficult when you have to integrate four new people all at once. This also gives us time to look into the future. What else do we need? Lidl only joined in mid-2023, so now is the time to approach riders."

One name that comes to mind is Cian Uijtdebroeks. You were interested in him, can you say something about that?

"When a rider like that comes on the market, everyone is interested. INEOS and we were interested, but he chose Visma. It is what it is. Cian wanted to leave BORA, so it was up to them to make that possible. I was also surprised by BORA-hansgrohe's initial statement that Cian was still under contract. When a team officially presents a rider, everything should be in order. It's too simplistic to say he only wanted to go to Visma. I know what happened in the background, but I won't say anything about that. We did everything we could and the talks went well. It's a pity how it turned out. Cian should just enjoy cycling."