Lidl-Trek has signed eight new riders for next season. Two names drive the project.
Filippo Ganna agreed terms with the team on October 13, cutting short his final year at Netcompany-Ineos after eight seasons with the British squad. The deal runs through the end of 2029 and sits alongside the earlier capture of Felix Gall, who signed a three-year contract on September 15 together with Austrian compatriot Gregor Mühlberger from Decathlon-CMA CGM.
Gall, 28, closed the 2026 season as the only rider on both the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España podiums, taking second in Italy and third in Spain. He arrives looking for a clear Tour de France leadership role after Decathlon reorganised around French prospect Paul Seixas.
“With Lidl-Trek a new chapter in my career as professional cyclist begins,” Gall said in the team’s announcement. “After wonderful years and the success that came with them, it is now time for me to take the next logical step.”
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Lidl-Trek CEO Andy Schleck framed the move around Gall’s trajectory, saying the Austrian had “truly grown into his role as a GC leader” with “another step forward each season” since his 2023 Tour breakthrough.
Ganna’s first job: ride for Pedersen in the cobbles
Ganna’s arrival reshapes Lidl-Trek’s spring and July. The Italian told the team his first focus will fall on the cobbled Classics, where he will ride for Mads Pedersen, before a dual Grand Tour brief that keeps both stage wins and GC support in play.
“I have big goals I hope to achieve with Lidl-Trek, particularly in the Classics,” Ganna said in the signing release. Schleck called him “an exceptional talent and a rider who has consistently proven himself at the very highest level.”
The rest of the window is less glamorous but structural: Jordi Meeus, Jordan Jegat, Georg Zimmermann, Igor Arrieta and Héctor Álvarez complete the eight new signings, with Søren Kragh Andersen’s two-year extension taking the thirtieth and final roster spot.
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The route reads like a plan
ASO’s 2027 Tour de France route, unveiled on October 22, published 71km of individual time trials, the most since 2012, across a 38km test from Blois to Chambord on stage 7 and a 33km stage around Toulouse on stage 16. Three summit finishes anchor the mountain programme.
That mix lands unusually well for a team that can field a world-class time trialist and a Grand Tour climber in the same colours. Lidl-Trek will approach the race with Gall, Juan Ayuso, Mattias Skjelmose and Derek Gee as GC options, and Ganna as the engine against the clock.
Tadej Pogacar is still the favourite as he chases an outright record sixth yellow jersey, having moved level with Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain on five wins in 2026. Remco Evenepoel is the clearest second threat on the time-trial kilometres, and Visma-Lease a Bike will again line up with Jonas Vingegaard. Breaking that trio of names is the entire point of what Lidl-Trek has built.
‘Not everybody will be happy’
The pile-up of leaders carries an obvious internal cost. Lidl-Trek’s management has acknowledged the pitfalls of selecting among a star-studded 2027 lineup, with Grand Tour slots the sharpest contest.
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The 2027 Tour de France starts in Edinburgh on July 2 and finishes in Paris on July 25.
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