Since Tudor Pro Cycling entered professional cycling in 2023, the company has grown steadily.
01.05.2025, 05:00
01.05.2025, 06:47
SDA
Team owner Fabian Cancellara spoke to the Keystone-SDA news agency on the sidelines of the prologue of the Tour de Romandie. Last year, Tudor took part in the Giro d'Italia for the first time, followed by the signing of French star Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi from Bern this season.
This year, the Swiss team has been invited to take part in the Tour de France. A wild card that the team will hopefully no longer have to rely on in the future if it is to achieve its goal of being accepted into the World Tour - the elite of world cycling.
Fabian Cancellara, Tudor is taking part in the Tour de Romandie for the third time. What is your goal for this year?
You don't have to ask me that. I'd rather stay in the background and let the coaches, sports directors and riders do their work. Of course we're hoping for a stage win like in 2024 (when Maikel Zijlaard won the prologue in Payerne - editor's note), but the most important thing for me is to maintain the Tudor team spirit.
This is called "born to dare".
We want to liven up the race and not stay behind. But we also don't want to break away just to present our jersey at the front of the race.
Since the arrival of Alaphilippe and Hirschi, there has been a lot of talk about Tudor. The public in French-speaking Switzerland is a little disappointed that this prominent duo will not be at the Tour de Romandie.
It would be easier if we had two Alaphilippes and two Hirschis. But there are sporting plans. We will be taking part in the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, and they can't be everywhere. So we have to make decisions. These also give other riders opportunities, such as the young Frenchman Mathys Rondel, who is our leader this week.
What does the first participation in the Tour de France mean for Tudor?
It is a great honor and a great sporting success that we have made it in our third season on the professional circuit. It shows that the project is working and that we are working well. It's really important to be able to take part in two Grands Tours a year, because you can see even more athletes in this type of race and not just a team of eight riders.
At the end of March, it was announced that Tudor is planning to build a unique performance center in Sursee by 2027, with a velodrome, a wind tunnel and facilities to recreate special surfaces such as cobblestones. Can you say more about this?
We are still at the beginning, but it is the next step in the development of cycling in Switzerland. A place in the heart of Switzerland. This will allow us to work even more professionally and we are very much looking forward to realizing this project.
Tudor belongs to the second highest level with a ProTeams license - what still separates you from the World Tour teams?
I can only say that we are doing everything we can to raise ourselves to this level. The team continues to grow. In a few years, with the performance center and the experience we've gained among the coaches and riders, we might be at the level of the best teams in the world. At the moment we are not yet UAE, Ineos or Lidl-Trek. They have different budgets. But we are happy with the current situation. We are proud to represent Switzerland, with a loyal partner and a project that was solid from the start. All this gives us the opportunity to move forward calmly.
What is Tudor's plan for promotion to the World Tour? A license purchase or a sporting promotion through a series of good results?
We are taking things year by year, but it is clear that one day we want to join the World Tour. The team is still young and we can't wait after only three years in the professional circuit. Things will undoubtedly change over the next three years. It's obviously very important to reach the top level so that we have a fixed calendar and are no longer dependent on invitations. That's why one of our big goals is to be among the best ProTeams by the end of the year, as this would secure us participation in certain races (the best two teams in the second-highest tier are automatically invited to certain races such as the Tour de France - ed.).
