Anyone following the transfer news this autumn will keep coming across one name time and again: Lidl-Trek. Since Lidl acquired a majority stake in October 2025 and the team has been racing under a German licence, there has been significant investment. It’s no wonder that four of the six high-profile top transfers of the current transfer window are heading to the German team. But two other teams have also managed to sign some really strong riders. Among them is even a ProTeam.
Podium finisher Felix Gall
The 28-year-old Austrian finished second in the Giro d’Italia and third in the Vuelta in 2026. He is leaving Decathlon CMA CGM, where Paul Seixas is set to take over as team leader, and has signed for Lidl-Trek until 2029. His close friend Gregor Mühlberger is joining him; the Giro support rider (15th in the general classification) and winner of the Tour of Austria has a contract until 2028. CEO Andy Schleck says that Gall has grown into the role of team leader year on year since his Tour breakthrough in 2023, adding that there is still much more to come. At Lidl-Trek, Gall will be joining forces with Juan Ayuso, amongst others. The question of who will be team captain may therefore need to be clarified once again.
Top transfers: There’s a German among them too
Georg Zimmermann, from Augsburg, rode for a smaller WorldTour team (CCC, Lotto-Intermarché) for seven years and is now moving to Lidl-Trek until the end of 2029; the team is really stepping up its game when it comes to transfers. In May, he won Eschborn-Frankfurt ahead of Tom Pidcock – the biggest victory of his career. Zimmermann says that with his old team, they mostly watched what others were doing and reacted accordingly. Big teams like Lidl-Trek, he says, actively shape the race. He wants to become the best version of himself, with the best coaches, the best kit and the best nutritional advice. Schleck praises his fearless style and believes there is still room for improvement.
Arnaud De Lie – The Courage to Take a Step Back?
The Belgian is also leaving Lotto-Intermarché after six years, but not to join the WorldTour. De Lie (24, 35 wins) has signed with the Swiss ProTeam Tudor until 2030. It has been a difficult year; he withdrew from both the Giro and the Tour. Tudor is determined to gain promotion to the WorldTour and is offering him the role of undisputed team captain on terrain that suits him perfectly. For Lotto-Intermarché, this is yet another loss, as Zimmermann’s departure marks the second of their top transfers.
The Royal Transfer
Kasia Niewiadoma-Phinney’s move is by far the biggest transfer of the transfer window so far. After nine years with Canyon//Sram, the 2024 Tour de France winner is joining Lidl-Trek. The move was announced three days after she won silver at the World Championships in Montréal. In 2026, she also won a stage on Mont Ventoux and finished second behind Demi Vollering. The contract runs for two years. She says she sensed that Lidl-Trek had a clear plan. Team manager Fränk Schleck describes it as a significant moment for the women’s team.
Ally Wollaston also joins the Lidl Trek
The 25-year-old New Zealander is the reigning national champion and is moving from FDJ United-Suez to Lidl-Trek until 2029. Last year, she won the Tour of Britain and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. She repeated the latter victory this season. In 2024, she became a double world champion on the track and won silver and bronze at the Paris Olympics. The tactical possibilities with her are virtually limitless, as she covers a wide range of roles, from supporting the team to leading her own sprint. She could make a particularly important contribution to her new team on the classics circuit. She has the potential for the major one-day races, but still needs to take that decisive step. Perhaps her move to Lidl-Trek – one of the top transfers of the season – was just what she needed.
Climbing power for SD Worx
French rider Cédrine Kerbaol is leaving EF Education-Oatly and joining SD Worx-Protime until 2028. The 25-year-old won a stage of the Tour de France Femmes in 2024 and is known for her aggressive riding style. SD Worx has carried out an analysis: the races are becoming more mountainous, so the team needs more climbing strength. With Anna van der Breggen, Nienke Vinke and Valentina Cavallar, a strong mountain trio is already in place. Interestingly, SD Worx has lost two riders to Lidl-Trek in the form of Blanka Vas and Julia Kopecký. So it’s high time that a rider like Kerbaol joined the team, bringing fresh momentum with her.
The big shopping trip
Lidl-Trek has been on a real spending spree during this transfer window and is bringing in an incredible number of new signings. In the men’s team, alongside Gall, Mühlberger and Zimmermann, the new arrivals include Jordan Jegat, Jordi Meeus and Igor Arrieta, amongst others. In the women’s team, alongside Niewiadoma and Wollaston, the line-up also includes Arlenis Sierra, Kopecký and Vas. However, it remains to be seen whether these signings will translate into victories – that won’t be clear until 2027.
Leon Weidner
Editor