With 42 wins, Lidl-Trek statistically had the best season in the team's history. Sprinters Jonathan Milan and Mads Pedersen performed well. In terms of GCs, it was disappointing, but the American formation is brimming with confidence for the new season.
General manager Luca Guercilena reflected on the season at RadioCorsa. "We took a step forward compared to previous seasons, and now the important thing is to keep growing," he said. The 24-year-old Milan was one of the team's standouts with 11 wins. "He is now an established name, but we think he still has room for improvement and can pursue big, important goals."
So, what are those big goals? Because wins at the Giro should not be called small victories. "The sprints remain his number one skill, but we want to make him a classics specialist and make him competitive in races that have global significance. We believe he has the characteristics to be a key player in races like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders."
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His Danish teammate Pedersen was also very successful, with 12 wins. However, the former world champion was unlucky to crash at key moments. "Unfortunately, he crashed badly in the Tour de France, which then got in the way of pursuing the green jersey. But overall, it was a very positive season." Pedersen also struggled in the spring: he fell in the horror crash of Dwars door Vlaanderen.
As for the GCs in grand tours, not much went according to plan. "We had to deal with some injuries, first and foremost that of Tao Geoghegan Hart. He joined us after the problems he had in 2023. That limited his ability to perform. Giulio Ciccone had problems before the Giro d'Italia, which was initially his big goal. Fortunately, Mattias Skjelmose did well, ranking fifth place in the Vuelta. He has good prospects, even though we know he has very skilled athletes ahead of him."