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Lidl-Trek and Gaia Realini agree to end contract a year early

Lidl‑Trek announced on Monday that it will part ways with Italian climber Gaia Realini at the end of 2026, a year before her contract was set to run out in 2027. Realini joined the German squad in 2023 after strong showings with Isolmant‑Premac‑Vittoria, notably a podium on the queen stage and overall second place at the UAE Tour Women, and quickly established herself as a top climber with results such as third at La Flèche Wallonne, seventh at Liège‑Bastogne‑Liège and a win at Trofeo Oro.

She continued her rise with a stage win and third overall at La Vuelta a Femenina, matched by third‑place GC finishes at the Giro d’Italia Women and Tour de l’Avenir, and a fifth‑place finish in her debut Tour de France Femmes. A fractured elbow in early 2025 disrupted her form, and she has yet to break the top‑15 in any race this season, though recent efforts include eighth and 12th on Vuelta climbing stages, 10th overall at the Faun Tour Femmes and 14th at the Giro dell’Emilia Donne.

The split makes her the third confirmed Lidl‑Trek departure for 2027, joining Felicity Wilson‑Haffenden, Shirin van Anrooij and retiring Amanda Spratt.

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