Confidence and consistency are key for Tao Geoghegan Hart, says Guercilena
Exclusive interview with the Lidl-Trek boss on his belief in the former Giro winner, improving the men's and women's rosters and possibly sending Milan to the Tour
Lidl-Trek general manager Luca Guercilena believes that Tao Geoghegan Hart can return to the top of the sport and compete for Grand Tours after a comeback season that was knocked by crashes and bad luck.
Geoghegan Hart, who won the Giro d’Italia in 2020, signed for the American team at the start of 2024 and his main objective was to regain full fitness after a career-threatening crash at the 2023 Giro d’Italia.
There were high points this season, including a promising comeback race at the Volta ao Algarve and a top ten on GC at the Tour de Romandie. However, back-to-back crashes at the Criterium du Dauphiné and Vuelta a Burgos, along with a bout of Covid knocked the 29-year-old off his stride and he was forced to miss the Tour de France in July.
He returned for the Vuelta a España in August and rode in support of Mattias Skjelmose before undergoing surgery in October to remove a collection of metal bolts and pins that were used to fuse his bones back together in the wake of his 2023 Giro crash.
With his body on the mend and a full season of racing in his legs, Guercilena is confident that the British rider can use this campaign as a springboard.
“I think that during this season just gone he’s been unlucky because having put in a big effort to come back in the winter he was pretty unlucky to have more crashes close to some important moments. Despite those crashes, he was able to ride the Vuelta and work in the right way,” Guercilena told us.