From main sponsor to majority shareholder: Lidl is taking its commitment to Lidl-Trek to the next level. Turning partnership into long-term responsibility – for sporting excellence, team spirit and greater equality in international cycling.
It is a moment that represents far more than a contractual agreement. In October 2025, when more than 160 Lidl-Trek employees – including riders – gather at Lidl’s headquarters in Bad Wimpfen, Germany, it marks a significant step forward: Lidl acquires a majority stake in Lidl-Trek and, together with co-owner and technical partner Trek Bicycle, signs the new ownership structure. With this move, Lidl reaffirms its long-term commitment to the sporting and organisational development of its cycling team. The ambition is clear: to become the most successful team in international road cycling.
The decision to host the annual team camp at Lidl’s headquarters in Germany for the first time is a deliberate one. It highlights the close connection between Lidl-Trek and #teamlidl – while also pointing towards the future. Bad Wimpfen will now serve as a new home base for the team, with part of Lidl’s headquarters becoming a central hub for Lidl-Trek.
Plans include a dedicated logistics centre and a state-of-the-art performance area that brings together training, analysis and recovery under one roof. The technological expertise of Schwarz Digits, the Schwarz Group’s digital powerhouse, will also be integrated. The result is a highly advanced performance centre designed to create optimal conditions for sporting development while increasing the team’s appeal for top riders, emerging talent and highly skilled professionals. In this way, Lidl combines sporting ambition with professional structures to establish the team at the top of international cycling in the long term.
"With our majority stake in Lidl-Trek, we are combining our strengths to bring Lidl’s organisational excellence into the team and foster a culture built on empowerment, team spirit and performance."
Lidl’s involvement with Lidl-Trek began in 2023, when the company joined as main sponsor and made its debut at two of the world’s most prestigious cycling events: the Giro d’Italia Women and the Tour de France Men. From the outset, the commitment was designed with a long-term perspective – with the aim of supporting performance in a holistic way.
Today, Lidl-Trek represents an integrated model that brings together men’s, women’s and development teams. It is a unified project with a clear sporting and cultural vision – combining excellence in performance with a strong culture of empowerment. This is particularly evident in the Lidl-Trek Women’s WorldTour Team, which unites experienced riders with emerging talent. Here, equality is not an add-on, but an integral part of the team’s identity – reflected in professional structures, comparable support to the men’s team and long-term development opportunities.
idl is pursuing its path to the top of international cycling with a long-term mindset – built on strong structures, a shared culture and the continuous development of its teams. Because great sporting success does not happen overnight. It grows through consistency, trust and the shared determination to improve step by step.
What this means in practice becomes clear where each season begins: at the annual team camp. When athletes, coaches, support staff and young talents come together to lay the foundations for the upcoming season, strategy turns into lived reality.
