Milan sees Lidl-Trek rise with Ayuso: 'He can win a Grand Tour'
Jonathan Milan believes Lidl Trek is entering a new phase, strengthened by the arrival of Juan Ayuso. Coming off a season with nine victories and the green jersey at the 2025 Tour de France, Milan now shifts his attention to 2026 and new goals on the track, in the Monuments and at La Vuelta.
The Italian sprinter is looking forward to the much talked about arrival of Juan Ayuso from UAE Emirates-XRG.
“He has the talent to win a Grand Tour,” Milan told MARCA at the Saitama Criterium. “Which one will depend on many things, but he has everything to do it.”
With Ayuso, Skjelmose and Ciccone in the mix, the team suddenly has several riders capable of shaping the biggest races. “Next year will be interesting to watch,” Milan said, pointing out the demanding task ahead for the sports directors.
That shift in ambition naturally leads to a bigger question about where Lidl Trek stands among the top teams.
“Right now they [UAE Emirated and Visma] are stronger, we saw it this year. But our team is growing, motivated, and pushing toward big goals. We need time, but I’m sure we’ll get there.”
He himself is closing out the most complete season of his career. Milan took nine victories, including two stages and the green jersey at the Tour de France.
"I think it was a very good season from all points of view. We managed to achieve all the goals we set ourselves last December, we brought home several victories, but above all I can say that I really enjoyed myself with the boys and for me this is the first thing to underline," Milan told tuttobiciweb earlier in Singapore.
Following the Singapore Criterium and the Saitama Criterium, Milan plans to head on holiday before his attention slowly turns to preparing for the 2026 season
"After these criteriums, I will totally disconnect and go for a week in the heat of the Maldives then, at the end of November, I will slowly resume training and with the December training camps we will establish the program and goals for 2026," Milan explained.
The sprinter's 2026 calendar remains undetermined, with track cycling ambitions potentially complicating his road schedule.
"For the moment I still don't know what my calendar will be like and what races I will do, I still have to talk about it and take stock with the team also considering the possible commitments on the track where I want to return to training at the beginning of the season," he said to tuttobiciweb.
With the track still in mind, Milan’s focus on the road includes new targets. Speaking to MARCA, he said he wants to grow in cycling’s biggest one day races. “I’d like to take a step forward in the Monuments. I love San Remo, Gent, and Roubaix. Roubaix has something special, the cobbles, the history… It’s a beautiful race.”
Another ambition sits clearly in front of him. Milan has not raced La Vuelta yet, and the prospect of taking a stage in a third Grand Tour excites him.
“Absolutely. It’s a dream for any cyclist to win in all three grand tours. I’m missing that stage, and it’s a big goal. I don’t know when I’ll go, we need to define the calendar, but I’d like to do it in the coming years. First a stage… and maybe one day fighting for the points jersey.”
