With Alaphilippe and Hirschi, Tudor Pro aims for World Tour invitations in 2026

With Alaphilippe and Hirschi, Tudor Pro aims for World Tour invitations in 2026
With Alaphilippe and Hirschi, Tudor Pro Cycling aims for World Tour invitations in 2026

With flashy recruitment, the Pro Team Tudor Pro presented its objectives for 2025. Surrounded by Marc Hirschi and Julian Alaphilippe, the owner of the Swiss team, Fabian Cancellara, announced the color: finish in the 2 best Pro Teams. And above all assured not to aim for the World Tour at the end of 2025.

Appearances are sometimes deceiving. At the start of the year, the teams take turns organizing their back-to-school day. They invite the press to present the recruits and launch some announcements, such as the objectives for the year or the leaders' calendar, before granting a few interviews. The process is well-established, journalists are notified by press release either by email or via a WhatsApp group. For several years, journalists have had the opportunity to join by videoconference, while the most privileged are on site, generally at the site of the team's training camp. And this year, it was a first for the young Pro Team Tudor Pro Cycling. “ We are delighted to see so many of you for the very first media day in our history », began, enthusiastically, the press manager of the Swiss team.

However, despite the apparent novelty, there was nothing to indicate that it was a trial attempt. The members of the team took turns in front of the press, from owner Fabian Cancellara to Arvid De Kleijn, Michael Storer and of course the two star recruits, Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi. The audience, above all, with probably more than 30 media present, a significant number. In short, nothing to envy of the best World Tour teams. Marc Hirschi also said nothing else when asked about the differences between Tudor and his former WT formations (UAE and Sunweb ex-DSM): “ I honestly don't see any difference in terms of organization, structure or expertise. It’s very similar”confides the Swiss puncher.

Target top 2 Pro Teams in 2025

However, the tone of management is intended to be modest in relation to the size and status of the team. “ Today, we will not be able to make an announcement on the calendar or our objectives for the season, because as a Pro Team, we are dependent on invitations to the major World Tour races.immediately declares the four-time winner of the Ronde. We have not yet received a response from the races for which we applied, apart from -. It is therefore complicated to plan or anticipate schedules ».

“Finally, what does the World Tour mean?” (Fabian Cancellara)

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Despite this declaration, everything suggests that Tudor finds itself in a rather comfortable situation as the final season of the 2023-2025 UCI cyclewhich will have a key role for the next one (2026-2028). Tudor is in fact 10,000 points behind Cofidis, 18th overall. Too much delay. But the ranking of the best Pro Teams, offering automatic invitations to all World Tour races to the top 2 teams for the following year, is more relevant than ever. By finishing among the two best PT, Tudor would have the certainty of being invited to all the WT – which does not mean that she would participate, like Lotto – and would thus be able to anticipate the race program very early. This is the real objective of the team, rather than aiming for a direct rise.

Tudor, in no hurry to be on the World Tour

« Finally, what does the World Tour mean? Cancellara said. Marc told you, we are organized in the same way as the WT teams, the only difference is that we have to apply for the WT races “. And it is clear that he is right: in 2025, Tudor will have 30 riders in its workforce, the maximum allowed in the World Tour. Of the 7 off-season recruits, 5 played in WT and the other 2 came from the development team of the Swiss team, which has had one since its creation, while several WT formations do not have one. . Finally, with nearly 150 employees, Tudor Pro Cycling is a company with a well-established framework.

Tudor World Tour

WT calendar of the first two Pro Teams over the last three years

What needs to be understood between the lines is that Tudor is not aiming for the World Tour in the short term. No, the Swiss team is looking for the top 2 of the Pro Teams to benefit from the visibility and attractiveness of WT races, without being subjected to the administrative constraints of the first division. Like Lotto and Israel Premier Tech in recent seasons, who have built an à la carte program and optimized the calendar with great comfort. This is perhaps one of the limits of the regulation: where teams like Arkéa B&B Hôtels, Astana or Cofidis send light personnel or tire out leaders in the Giro or the Vuelta, Lotto and Israel save money and energy by ignoring it. The impact is difficult to quantify but seems certain. Tudor would be wrong to deprive himself of it. It now remains to achieve this top 2 objective at the end of the year. Competition will be open, with Astana, Arka-B&B Hôtels, Uno-X, TotalEnergies and Q36.5 as the main opponents. And with Hirschi or Alaphilippe, Tudor is the favorite. See you in a year, at the end of the ball, to pay the musicians.

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