Despite having one more year left on his contract with Movistar, Danish rider Mathias Norsgaard will make the switch to Lidl-Trek for the 2026 season.
Norsgaard signed a three-year extension with the Spanish WorldTour outfit in 2023, but will join his new team to ride as a key domestique for Mads Pedersen. Norsgaard has signed a two-year contract through to the end of 2027.
The 28-year-old’s younger sister, Emma Norsgaard, also signed for Lidl-Trek’s women’s team for the 2025 season.
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The move, which was first reported by Feltet during the men’s Tour de France, was confirmed by the team in a press release on Monday. Norsgaard, a gifted rouleur and Classics rider, is reportedly the tallest man in the WorldTour, at 203.2cm. He said that he was delighted to be linking with compatriot Pedersen.
“I’m so, so excited to join the team,” Norsgaard said. “This feels like a step up for me. At the end of the day, my job as a cyclist is to be a domestique, and I’ve been looking for that one big leader I could fully commit to. With Mads, I feel I’ve found exactly that. I want to be excellent at my job, and I have one big dream: to help Mads win a Monument.”
Norsgaard’s biggest personal result was winning the Danish national time trial championship in 2022. He also has a top 10 at Dwars door Vlaanderen on his palmares and is a winner of three UCI races during his career. He turned professional with Danish ProTeam Riwal Readynez in 2019 before racing with Movistar for six seasons.
“With leaders like Mads, [Giulio] Ciccone, [Jonathan] Milan, and [Mathias] Skjelmose, I know there will always be a role for me and a clear purpose in the team,” Norsgaard added.
“Hearing from Emma about how the team works only made the decision easier. I’ve raced on the same team as my sister before, and it’s a crazy but special feeling. Sharing camps and races with her brings a lot of pride to my family, and I can’t wait to experience that again.”
Norsgaard is Lidl-Trek’s second signing for the 2026 season after the team announced that Swedish rider Jakob Söderqvist will step up from the team’s development squad next year. With both Ryan Gibbons and Tim Declerq retiring, and Alex Kirsch and Jasper Stuyven’s departures to rival teams, Norsgaard will be seen as a solid replacement to fill in the gaps.
The team have been bolstered over the summer as supermarket chain Lidl acquired a majority stake in ownership of the men's and women's WorldTour teams as well as the men's development squad.
Lidl-Trek General Manager Luca Guercilena believes that Norsgaard can be an important helper for the team’s leaders in the coming seasons.
“Mathias is a strong engine and we’re pleased to welcome him on board for the next two seasons,” said Guercilena.
“He has the power to work on the front for a long time, but also the versatility to support the team deep into the finals. He has shown strong ability in time trials, and we believe there is still more potential to unlock there. Above all, Mathias is highly motivated to give everything for his teammates, and we are confident he will fit seamlessly into our group.”
Cyclingnews will cover all of the 2026 cycling transfers from around the men's and women's pelotons with news, analysis, and an updated transfer index, to make sure you don't miss a thing this transfer season.
