The surprise return of Mads Pedersen to the Milan-San Remo (which he then finished with an excellent fourth place) risks being the only positive news in an early season that has been and continues to be marked by misfortune for Lidl-Trek.

Between the crash and withdrawal from Paris-Nice of Juan Ayuso, the tenosynovitis in the right wrist that forced Mattias Skjelmose to miss the Volta ao Algarve, the knee surgery of Thibau Nys, the illness that prevented Jonathan Milan from participating in the Sanremo and the crash of Albert Withen-Philipsen at the Bredene Koksijde Classic, the American team has certainly not been helped by good fortune so far, as all of its top riders have in turn found themselves dealing with accidents and various problems that have forced them to stop.

The latest to throw in the towel is Toms Skujiņš who, having fallen ill at Paris-Nice during the brutal Uchon stage, has not yet managed to recover to a state of health that would allow him to train effectively and, therefore, has opted to skip the entire spring classics period that he was so looking forward to.

"For the first time in more than ten years I will not take part in any spring classic. I am clearly devastated, but also quite struck by the fact that I managed to achieve such a long streak in a sport where crashes and injuries are always part of the game" the thirty-four-year-old Latvian rider wrote on his social media channels.

"I got seriously ill at Paris-Nice and I haven't ridden much since I came home early" Skujiņš explained. "I will certainly try to make the most of this situation, recover my strength and prepare my body for the rest of the year. I still have many goals to achieve this season. The positive side is that I'll be able to watch more cycling races on TV than in previous years and cheer for my teammates".

For Lidl-Trek, Skujiņš's absence is a significant loss considering the important support role that the native of Sigulda is able to perform for his teammates when needed, and at the same time, his ability to perform at a high level by putting himself forward in the more demanding one-day races of recent seasons.

Finishing fifth at the last Olympics, the last edition of the Europeans and the road race at the Worlds in Rwanda, but also finishing second two years ago at the Strade Bianche and finishing in the top ten at the Tour of Flanders, E3 Saxo Classic and Tre Valli Varesine are not results that are achieved by chance but tangible signs of how the Latvian national champion has the engine and endurance to play a leading role in the most selective and demanding races—elements that Lidl-Trek hopes to be able to admire and have at its disposal in the second half of the season when Skujiņš is hoped to have the opportunity to get revenge against the misfortune that has struck him in recent weeks.