Project Juan: what Juan Ayuso’s move to Lidl–Trek really means
Lidl–Trek have made the rumour official: Juan Ayuso signs a five-year deal with the American team
If there were lots of riders like Juan Ayuso on the market, perhaps the Spaniard would have shown a different attitude towards the ‘dictatorship’ of UAE (the team, of course), and Giovanni Lombardi, his new agent and the man tasked with finding him a new maillot for 2026, would not have had so many messages on his Whatsapp during the last weeks. But there aren’t.
Now it’s confirmed: Ayuso will race with Lidl–Trek until 2030. While he prepares for Sunday’s road race at the Worlds, the rider from Jávea has signed for five years with his new team and he will not wear the UAE jersey again.
Sorry to start at the end, but five years is a long time. Not only in professional cycling.
Why 5 years?
Ayuso wanted the financial security of a long-term contract, of course… and with so many teams chasing him, Lidl–Trek had little choice but to put it on the table.
It is a risk for Lidl–Trek, especially considering how Ayuso leaves UAE. But what they are getting is a 23-year-old who’s already been on a Grand Tour podium, plus wins at Tirreno–Adriatico, Itzulia, stages at the Vuelta and Giro, and 16 pro victories in total, most of them prestigious results.
Ayuso is a strong climber, an excellent time trialist, and a rider of full of ambition. His strengths are as familiar as his flaws, but there was nothing better on the market for Lidl. Not even Roglič, in case he finally leaves Red Bull.
For Ayuso, five years is not a problem. It almost never is for a rider who does not want to stay within a team, at least in today’s cycling.
It wasn’t for Hirschi, Van Gils, Uijtdebroeks, Pidcock, Roglič two years ago, or Evenepoel now. And it likely won’t be for Derek Gee. Cyclists almost always end up racing where they want, and contracts are relative. They are compulsory when injuries or poor results appear, but not when there are better offers on the table.
Ayuso was tied to UAE until 2028 and, according to Mauro Gianetti, they had “no plan to let him go”. But he has got his way. It always happens. That’s how it works. So if things don’t click at Lidl–Trek, no buyout clause worth €100 million will keep him there.
