Blanka Vas (SD Worx-Protime) will join Lidl-Trek on 1 October after the team agreed to release her at her request, ending more than five years with SD Worx-Protime.
Lidl-Trek confirmed the signing on Monday, with the Hungarian rider’s contract running through the end of 2028. She will begin racing for her new team during the upcoming cyclocross season.
SD Worx-Protime said discussions with Vas had led both sides to conclude that their sporting ambitions had not been met over the past year. Sporting director Danny Stam said the rider wanted to test herself elsewhere.
“This season, however, has not delivered the sporting results that both sides had hoped for. Consequently, she has expressed a desire to explore what she can achieve with another team,” Stam said. “We understand her position and wish her every success and happiness for the future.”
Vas joined SD Worx-Protime on 1 June 2021 and won stages at the Tour de France Femmes and Giro d’Italia Donne during her time there. Her results also included a Tour de Suisse Women stage victory and an under-23 world title. She finished fourth in the Paris 2024 Olympic road race.
“This was not an easy decision, but after a number of discussions, we all felt that this was the right time to take a different path,” Vas said in SD Worx-Protime’s announcement.
Her 2026 season included a fourth-place finish at Trofeo Alfredo Binda in March, before health problems forced her to stop training in June and miss the Hungarian national road championships. At the time, Vas said her priority was recovery.
Vas targets leadership opportunities
Lidl-Trek plans to use Vas both in pursuit of her own victories and in support of teammates.
“I hope I can keep improving and become a stronger rider. I’d also like to get some experience in a leadership role at some races and see how I can handle that,” she said. “I think it would be a good opportunity for me to learn and grow.”
Lidl-Trek women’s team manager Frank Schleck said he had followed Vas closely over the past few years and believed the team could help her develop further.
“She has already proven her quality on the road and in cyclocross, and we’re especially excited that she’ll pull on the Lidl–Trek jersey very soon for the upcoming CX season,” Schleck said.
Vas’s first full road campaign with Lidl-Trek will follow in 2027.
