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British rider among Lidl-Trek Junior Racing programme that aims to ‘find and develop the very best junior talent’

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British rider among Lidl-Trek Junior Racing programme that aims to ‘find and develop the very best junior talent’

News


By
Jackie Tyson
published

Thirteen rider men’s team including one Briton makes debut March 28-29 in France at Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53

Riders from Lidl-Trek Future Racing competed at Classica Comunitat Valenciana in January 2026(Image credit: Getty Images)
Jump to:

  • Lidl-Trek Junior Racing 2026 roster

Lidl-Trek have added a second stepping stone on the development path to WorldTour racing, Lidl-Trek Junior Racing launching for the 2026 season with British rider Leon Atkins among the 13 juniors on the team.

The squad for 16 to 18-year-old junior men completes a structured programme for the WorldTour team alongside the Lidl-Trek Future Racing squad, launched in 2024 for under-23 riders. The new team partners with a regional German squad, Baden-Württemberg, and will begin their season at the Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53 on March 28-29.

“Creating Lidl-Trek Junior Racing gives us a level of structure in our scouting process that we haven’t had before – one that allows us to detect talent earlier and give young riders a clear, supported pathway toward the development team,” Josu Larrazabal, head of coaching, scouting and academy at Lidl-Trek, said in a press statement.

Article continues below

“Because the team is registered as a Club Team, it doesn’t conflict with races where national federations take part, which means we can build the best possible race programme around each rider. It’s also a significant step forward in managing the transition from junior to under-23 level.”

Ten of the 13 riders are from Germany in alignment with the regional team affiliation. Also on the roster are Austrian junior road champion Michael Hetteger, Trophée Madiot-Crédit Mutuel champion Julien Breugnot of France and British junior time trial champion and track star Atkins.

“Just as we’ve seen with the progression of our U23 riders to the WorldTour, knowing athletes from race situations, from training day-to-day, from how they handle their lives outside of cycling – that knowledge is invaluable. This programme improves our ability to find and develop the very best junior talent, and I’m genuinely excited about what that means for the future of this team,”Larrazabal added.

Many of these junior club teams will use the Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53 in France as a barometer to test talent. Past winners of the two-day race include Jarno Widar, now with Lotto Intermarché, and Ashlin Barry, who competes with the Visma-Lease a Bike Development team.

Other races planned for this season include Côte d’Or Classic Juniors in France, RF LVM Saarland Trofeo in Germany and RF Keizer der Juniores in Belgium.

Lidl-Trek Junior Racing 2026 roster

  • Sean Arnold (Germany)
  • Leon Atkins (United Kingdom)
  • Julien Breugnot (France)
  • Timo Burger (Germany)
  • Luan Elsäßer (Germany)
  • Michael Hetteger (Austria)
  • Louis Joos (Germany)
  • Noah Kunz (Germany)
  • Mathis Müller (Germany)
  • Moritz Schwarzer (Germany)
  • Josh Tietjen (Germany)
  • Baltasar Waldmüller (Germany)
  • Timo Zabel (Germany)
TOPICS
Jackie Tyson
North American Editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years – from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l’Alpe d’Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.

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British rider among Lidl-Trek Junior Racing programme that aims to ‘find and develop the very best junior talent’

News


By
Jackie Tyson
published

Thirteen rider men’s team including one Briton makes debut March 28-29 in France at Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53

Riders from Lidl-Trek Future Racing competed at Classica Comunitat Valenciana in January 2026(Image credit: Getty Images)
Jump to:

  • Lidl-Trek Junior Racing 2026 roster

Lidl-Trek have added a second stepping stone on the development path to WorldTour racing, Lidl-Trek Junior Racing launching for the 2026 season with British rider Leon Atkins among the 13 juniors on the team.

The squad for 16 to 18-year-old junior men completes a structured programme for the WorldTour team alongside the Lidl-Trek Future Racing squad, launched in 2024 for under-23 riders. The new team partners with a regional German squad, Baden-Württemberg, and will begin their season at the Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53 on March 28-29.

“Creating Lidl-Trek Junior Racing gives us a level of structure in our scouting process that we haven’t had before – one that allows us to detect talent earlier and give young riders a clear, supported pathway toward the development team,” Josu Larrazabal, head of coaching, scouting and academy at Lidl-Trek, said in a press statement.

Article continues below

“Because the team is registered as a Club Team, it doesn’t conflict with races where national federations take part, which means we can build the best possible race programme around each rider. It’s also a significant step forward in managing the transition from junior to under-23 level.”

Ten of the 13 riders are from Germany in alignment with the regional team affiliation. Also on the roster are Austrian junior road champion Michael Hetteger, Trophée Madiot-Crédit Mutuel champion Julien Breugnot of France and British junior time trial champion and track star Atkins.

“Just as we’ve seen with the progression of our U23 riders to the WorldTour, knowing athletes from race situations, from training day-to-day, from how they handle their lives outside of cycling – that knowledge is invaluable. This programme improves our ability to find and develop the very best junior talent, and I’m genuinely excited about what that means for the future of this team,”Larrazabal added.

Many of these junior club teams will use the Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53 in France as a barometer to test talent. Past winners of the two-day race include Jarno Widar, now with Lotto Intermarché, and Ashlin Barry, who competes with the Visma-Lease a Bike Development team.

Other races planned for this season include Côte d’Or Classic Juniors in France, RF LVM Saarland Trofeo in Germany and RF Keizer der Juniores in Belgium.

Lidl-Trek Junior Racing 2026 roster

  • Sean Arnold (Germany)
  • Leon Atkins (United Kingdom)
  • Julien Breugnot (France)
  • Timo Burger (Germany)
  • Luan Elsäßer (Germany)
  • Michael Hetteger (Austria)
  • Louis Joos (Germany)
  • Noah Kunz (Germany)
  • Mathis Müller (Germany)
  • Moritz Schwarzer (Germany)
  • Josh Tietjen (Germany)
  • Baltasar Waldmüller (Germany)
  • Timo Zabel (Germany)
TOPICS
Jackie Tyson
North American Editor

Jackie has been involved in professional sports for more than 30 years in news reporting, sports marketing and public relations. She founded Peloton Sports in 1998, a sports marketing and public relations agency, which managed projects for Tour de Georgia, Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah and USA Cycling. She also founded Bike Alpharetta Inc, a Georgia non-profit to promote safe cycling. She is proud to have worked in professional baseball for six years – from selling advertising to pulling the tarp for several minor league teams. On the bike, she has climbed l’Alpe d’Huez three times (not fast), and spends time on gravel around horse farms in north Georgia.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

British rider among Lidl-Trek Junior Racing programme that aims to ‘find and develop the very best junior talent’

News


By
Jackie Tyson
published

Thirteen rider men’s team including one Briton makes debut March 28-29 in France at Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53

Lidl-Trek have added a second stepping stone on the development path to WorldTour racing, Lidl-Trek Junior Racing launching for the 2026 season with British rider Leon Atkins among the 13 juniors on the team.

The squad for 16 to 18-year-old junior men completes a structured programme for the WorldTour team alongside the Lidl-Trek Future Racing squad, launched in 2024 for under-23 riders. The new team partners with a regional German squad, Baden-Württemberg, and will begin their season at the Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53 on March 28-29.

“Creating Lidl-Trek Junior Racing gives us a level of structure in our scouting process that we haven’t had before – one that allows us to detect talent earlier and give young riders a clear, supported pathway toward the development team,” Josu Larrazabal, head of coaching, scouting and academy at Lidl-Trek, said in a press statement.

Article continues below

“Because the team is registered as a Club Team, it doesn’t conflict with races where national federations take part, which means we can build the best possible race programme around each rider. It’s also a significant step forward in managing the transition from junior to under-23 level.”

Ten of the 13 riders are from Germany in alignment with the regional team affiliation. Also on the roster are Austrian junior road champion Michael Hetteger, Trophée Madiot-Crédit Mutuel champion Julien Breugnot of France and British junior time trial champion and track star Atkins.

“Just as we’ve seen with the progression of our U23 riders to the WorldTour, knowing athletes from race situations, from training day-to-day, from how they handle their lives outside of cycling – that knowledge is invaluable. This programme improves our ability to find and develop the very best junior talent, and I’m genuinely excited about what that means for the future of this team,”Larrazabal added.

Many of these junior club teams will use the Tour du Bocage et de l’Ernée 53 in France as a barometer to test talent. Past winners of the two-day race include Jarno Widar, now with Lotto Intermarché, and Ashlin Barry, who competes with the Visma-Lease a Bike Development team.

Other races planned for this season include Côte d’Or Classic Juniors in France, RF LVM Saarland Trofeo in Germany and RF Keizer der Juniores in Belgium.

Lidl-Trek Junior Racing 2026 roster

  • Sean Arnold (Germany)
  • Leon Atkins (United Kingdom)
  • Julien Breugnot (France)
  • Timo Burger (Germany)
  • Luan Elsäßer (Germany)
  • Michael Hetteger (Austria)
  • Louis Joos (Germany)
  • Noah Kunz (Germany)
  • Mathis Müller (Germany)
  • Moritz Schwarzer (Germany)
  • Josh Tietjen (Germany)
  • Baltasar Waldmüller (Germany)
  • Timo Zabel (Germany)

[analyse_source url=”https://www.cyclingnews.com/pro-cycling/emerging-talents/british-rider-among-lidl-trek-junior-racing-programme-that-aims-to-find-and-develop-the-very-best-junior-talent/”]

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