Lidl-Trek have announced the signing of Spanish climber Igor Arrieta on a three-year deal from UAE Team Emirates-XRG.
The 23-year-old has spent the past three seasons at UAE after coming up through the Lizarte youth setup and turning pro with Kern Pharma. He's enjoyed a breakthrough season this year with a Giro d'Italia stage victory and a third place at the AlUla Tour among his standout results.
Arrieta has also taken second place at the Ordiziako Klasikoa and scored top-10 results at the Clásica Jaén, Faun-Ardèche Classic, Itzulia Basque Country, and the Tour de Luxembourg.
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"I have a super nice feeling about signing with Lidl-Trek; it’s a really big team that is continuing to grow with the Lidl ownership," Arrieta said upon the announcement of his signing.
"I'm really looking forward to continuing to grow as a rider over the next season. In the last few years I have improved every year, and I think I can continue to grow at Lidl-Trek. I’m really excited to ride with big talents like Skjelmose, Pedersen, Ciccone and all the guys on the team.
"I really hope to grow as a rider, in all aspects of my racing – on the climbs, the flat and in time trials, and I’m looking forward to establishing my place in the team. From the outside it looks like a real family team and it looks like a great one to be a part of."
Arrieta is best known for his exploits at the Giro back in May, where he raced to 19th place overall in Rome. His race to victory on stage 5 of the Grand Tour in Potenza saw him tussle with Afonso Eulálio in a drama-filled breakaway finale.
Both men went down in the final kilometres of the rain-sodden stage, while Arrieta also took a wrong turn. He made a comeback, however, later shooting past Eulálio in the final few hundred metres of the stage to claim a memorable victory.
Arrieta joins fellow Spaniards Juan Ayuso, Héctor Alvarez, and Carlos Verona at Lidl-Trek, who are now at 29 riders for 2027, with a maximum of 30 possible.
While he signs from UAE, Alvarez steps up from the Lidl-Trek Future Racing team, and Austrian pairing Felix Gall and Gregor Mühlberger join from Decathlon CMA CGM. Georg Zimmermann (Lotto-Intermarché) and Jordan Jegat (TotalEnergies) complete the team's incoming signings to date.
"Stage 5 of this year's Giro d'Italia was one of the most dramatic finales to the race and Igor’s victory in Potenza impressed us and highlighted not only his ability and racing prowess but also his future star power," Lidl-Trek CEO Andy Schleck said.
"We believe Igor has a bright career ahead of him and we are looking forward to working with him and seeing him develop."
Arrieta is UAE's second departure of the off-season, joining Juan Sebastián Molano (Lotto-Intermarché) in heading for the exit. The team has already signed Abel Balderstone (Caja Rural-Seguros RGA), Marco Frigo (NSN), and neo-pro Davide Stella.
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