Riccardo Longo and Tommaso Cingolani will wear the jersey of the Lidl Trek Junior formation in the upcoming season. The two promising Italian youngsters, together with thirteen other young athletes from Germany, France, Spain, Norway and Denmark, will form the group on which the team has decided to focus for 2027.

«Our philosophy is to identify talent, teach, train and help the boys reach their maximum potential, so they are as well-prepared as possible when they arrive in the WorldTour. Most of them will be part of our team, but will also continue to race with their respective clubs, competing in events in their own countries and facing the most important appointments with us», said Markel Irizar, team manager of the squad, presenting the project.

He then added: «We want the boys to be able to focus on their studies and continue to live in their own environment. Everything moves very quickly, but our goal is to maintain a cautious approach regarding their mental growth and their development».

Longo, who will celebrate his 17th birthday in February, raced this year for Alba Orobia Biassono with whom he achieved 11 victories, finishing fourth in the special Oscar tuttoBICI ranking, an award he has won for two consecutive years when he was racing in the Beginners category.

Cingolani, born in January 2009, in his first season among the Juniors defended the colors of Ethica Zero24 Cycling Team Ecotek, celebrating four victories, including the one obtained on the second day of racing at the Peace Race in the Czech Republic. Currently competing in cyclocross, he will wear the Italian national jersey at the discipline's European championships.  

In addition to our two fellow countrymen, the Lidl-Trek Junior Racing will include Frenchman Julien Breugnot, Norwegian Kristian Flaterud, Spaniard Aimar Irizar, Dane Valdemar Wagner and Germans David Aicher, Daan Ensenbach, Philipp Hackenbroch, Sean Kings, Mika Lohmar, Mathis Möller, Amon Rothe, Moritz Schwarzer and Nick Urich.

In presenting the team, the coach emphasized that Liège–Bastogne–Liège and Paris-Roubaix will be the squad's main objectives along with the European and World Championships. Beyond sporting results, however, the youth formation aims to «give as many boys as possible the opportunity to move from our Junior squad to the Development team».

 «We want the work done with the Junior squad to have an impact on our WorldTour formation: it would be proof that we have done good work in their development» Irizar further emphasized.