Published May 12, 2026 03:06AM<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Lidl-Trek<\/a> rolled out of the opening weekend of the Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a> without a stage win, without the pink jersey, and with its general classification leader Derek Gee-West<\/a> battered and chasing time.<\/p>\n Hardly what the wannabe super team was envisioning for the start of the season\u2019s first grand tour.<\/p>\n With German superstore\u2019s big-money backing<\/a> only raising expectations across 2026, this Giro is supposed to mark a turning point.<\/p>\n Instead, the team is facing even more pressure after a stop-start spring campaign marked by crashes, illness, and near-misses.<\/p>\n Sprinter ace Jonathan Milan<\/a> came close to delivering the dream opening<\/a> with a stage win and the pink jersey, but instead twice finished second to Paul Magnier.<\/p>\n As the race returns to Italy on Tuesday, he\u2019s the team\u2019s best bet to quickly change the narrative.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not demoralized by these results,\u201d Milan told RAI<\/em>. \u201cI\u2019m starting to feel a bit better day by day. We did what we wanted to do [Sunday], even if the result wasn\u2019t what we wanted. I will try to win and enjoy myself.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the rocky start, Lidl-Trek is impatient to punch into the win column.<\/p>\n Things will get a lot better real fast if the team can knock down a win sooner than later.<\/p>\n Canadian GC hope Gee-West<\/a> was caught up in the stage 2 crash chaos in Bulgaria that ripped through the peloton Saturday.<\/p>\n Banged up and bruised, it was not the start he was looking for following his high-profile split from former Israel Premier Tech to join Lidl-Trek after a protracted contract fight<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m beaten up, but not so bad, considering how some of the guys ended up. I feel pretty lucky,\u201d Gee-West said.<\/p>\n The 28-year-old fought back after the crash but eventually lost contact, conceding 1:11 and slipping to 48th overall heading into Tuesday\u2019s stage 4.<\/p>\n The early setback mirrors last year\u2019s Giro opening<\/a>, when Gee-West also lost time in the \u201cbig start\u201d in Albania before recovering deep into the race to finish fourth overall.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s something I\u2019m used to now, losing a minute right out of the gates,\u201d he said with a wry laugh. \u201cObviously not the nicest way to do it, but my legs felt OK. I think at the end of the race, hopefully a minute doesn\u2019t decide a spot one way or the other.\u201d<\/p>\n Despite the crash, he remains in the race \u2014 something that cannot be said for the likes of Adam Yates and Jay Vine<\/a> \u2014 and is banking on recovery before the first decisive mountain stage at Blockhaus later this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI saw guys in front of me hitting the deck, then I hit the deck, and then I saw a lot of guys on the ground. It\u2019s never nice to see,\u201d Gee-West said. \u201cI haven\u2019t heard how everyone\u2019s doing, but it was a pretty nasty one.\u201d<\/p>\n Lidl-Trek comes into the 2026 Giro ambitious to prove it belongs in the top tier of the WorldTour.<\/p>\n Global super market chain Lidl bought controlling interest of the team\u2019s license<\/a>, and is pressing the gas for bigger and better results.<\/p>\n After a promising start with marquee signing Juan Ayuso<\/a>, who beat back wonder boy Paul Seixas at the Volta ao Algarve in February, it\u2019s been a stop-start season ever since.<\/p>\nCrash chaos hits GC hopes<\/h2>\n
Big budget, thin returns<\/h2>\n
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