Mads Pedersen, Jasper Stuyven, Tim Declerq, Toms Skujiņš, Edward Theuns, and a fairly locked-in rotation of riders like Otto Vergaerde, Daan Hoole and Mathias Vacek. They would speak of trust, unity and experience, riding as a unit built over several years and many races, and that strength was reflected on the road.
Fast forward to 2026, however, and a number of team changes and badly-timed illnesses means that Lidl-Trek men's squad have been shuffling through various iterations during the cobbled Classics so far. When it comes to their potential line-up for the Tour of Flanders on Sunday, for example, there isn't that obvious core squad that there used to be, rather a jigsaw involving drafting in the strongest options from a younger, less experienced cast of riders.
