Lidl-Trek on Tuesday confirmed the length of two contracts the peloton had been expecting since June, and did so in a self-mocking line about “a top secret revealed”.
Gall, 28, has signed a three-year deal that runs through the end of 2029. His fellow Austrian and long-time climbing partner Gregor Mühlberger, 32, has committed for two years, through 2028. Both riders will finish the current season at Decathlon CMA CGM.
Schleck praises Gall’s growth as GC leader
The signing follows a career-best year for Gall. He finished second at the Giro d’Italia in May and third at the Vuelta a España that concluded on Sunday, his second Grand Tour podium in four months.
Mühlberger sat alongside him in both races as chief mountain domestique. He had climbed to ninth on general classification at the Vuelta before crashing out on stage 13 with a shoulder injury and mild concussion.
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Lidl-Trek CEO Andy Schleck, who took over the team leadership after this year’s Tour de France, kept the reasoning simple.
“Felix has truly grown into his role as a GC leader, and it has been exciting to watch him take another step forward each season.”
“Gregor will bring a wealth of experience to the team over the next two years, but just as importantly, he brings the qualities every team values: loyalty, commitment and a willingness to give everything for those around him.”
Signings follow a Vuelta without wins
Mattias Skjelmose came to the Vuelta as the team’s overall leader and lost significant time on the first serious mountain day, a performance the team’s directeur sportif called “not good enough”. Mads Pedersen abandoned the race without the stage win the team had built its sprint plan around.
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Gall and Mühlberger will arrive into an already crowded stage-race hierarchy. Juan Ayuso is also joining Lidl-Trek on a five-year contract after his early exit from UAE Team Emirates-XRG, and Skjelmose, Giulio Ciccone and Derek Gee remain on the roster.
Schleck set the ambition in one line: “Together at Lidl-Trek, we have the ambition to keep pushing the limits of what we can achieve.”
Gall and Mühlberger will race out the rest of 2026 in Decathlon CMA CGM colours before starting with Lidl-Trek in 2027.
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