Filippo Ganna, 30, leaves Netcompany INEOS after eight years and signs a three-year contract with Lidl-Trek running until 2029, announced on Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
Ganna won the world time trial title in 2020 and 2021 and has eight Giro d'Italia stage wins and two Vuelta a Espana stage wins, according to Europa Press.
Felix Gall, Gregor Muhlberger, Jordan Jegat, Igor Arrieta and Jordi Meeus have joined, while Giulio Ciccone and Tao Geoghegan Hart left, per the New York Times.
Netcompany INEOS has 16 riders for 2027, while other WorldTour teams have about 30, according to Observador.
Lidl-Trek announced on Tuesday, 13 October 2026 that Filippo Ganna will ride for the German squad from the 2027 season, on a three-year contract running until 2029. The 30-year-old Italian leaves Netcompany INEOS, where he rode for eight seasons. NOS reports that Ganna still had one year left on his INEOS contract, which he will not complete. The team described him as one of the best time triallists in the world and a formidable force in one-day classics and Grand Tours. The New York Times notes that he is the reigning hour record holder and calls the signing another statement from the German squad in the transfer market.
Ganna won the world time trial title in 2020 and 2021, and in September 2026 he finished second to Remco Evenepoel at the world championships in Montreal, according to the New York Times. Europa Press reports that he has won eight stages at the Giro d'Italia, two at the Vuelta a Espana and five at the Tirreno-Adriatico. NOS says he finished second at Milan-San Remo in 2023 and 2025. Observador counts 41 career victories for the Italian. Europa Press also records that he won Olympic gold in the team pursuit at the Tokyo Games alongside Jonathan Milan and Simone Consonni, who will also ride for Lidl-Trek. The chart below shows the Grand Tour stage totals that the sources state.
Data from the article text
Ganna told the New York Times that the switch offers him a fresh start and a strong squad around him.
“After eight years with my current team, opening a new chapter is super nice and I feel great motivation for the season.”
Ganna said his main goals are in the Classics, while the Grand Tours remain an important objective that he will pursue alongside supporting the team. Andy Schleck, the former Tour de France winner who now runs Lidl-Trek as chief executive, praised the rider's range and described him as a key part of the team's plan for the future.
“From time trials and the Classics to Grand Tours, there are very few riders in the peloton with his combination of power, experience and versatility.”
The New York Times describes Lidl-Trek as having endured a turbulent season after numerous changes at boardroom level. The team lost Giulio Ciccone to Q36.5 and Tao Geoghegan Hart to EF Education EasyPost. In return it has signed Felix Gall and Gregor Muhlberger from Decathlon CMA CGM, Jordan Jegat from TotalEnergies, Igor Arrieta from UAE Team Emirates and Jordi Meeus from Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. Ouest France counts Ganna as the team's fourth recruit for the 2027 season. At the most recent Tour de France, Lidl-Trek won the team classification, with Mattias Skjelmose sixth and Juan Ayuso seventh, and five of its riders finished in the top 25 overall.
Observador reports that Netcompany INEOS has only 16 riders under contract for 2027, while other WorldTour teams have around 30. The New York Times describes the team as having had a difficult few seasons and questions its long-term strategy. Ganna had been one of the squad's most consistent riders, according to the same paper, taking eight Giro stages and two Vuelta stages during his time there. Ganna will share a squad with Juan Ayuso, who finished seventh at the most recent Tour de France for Lidl-Trek.
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Two-time time trial world champion Filippo Ganna leaves Netcompany INEOS after eight years and joins Lidl-Trek from the 2027 season, a contract the German team announced on Tuesday, 13 October 2026.
AI text based on reports by Observador, europa press, Le Figaro.fr and other publishers. Published .