"We were quite slow and we lost speed there" - Stefan Küng honest on Tudor debut

The Trofeo Ses Salines at the Challenge Mallorca delivered one of the most symbolic images of the early season with Stefan Küng’s debut for Tudor Pro Cycling Team. After many years flying the Groupama - FDJ colours, the Swiss opened a new chapter of his career in the jersey of the Swiss outfit in a team time trial, a discipline that fits his profile and his track record as one of the world’s leading specialists against the clock.

For Küng, the day carried extra weight even before the start. He admitted the pre-race sensations felt different in comments to Cycling Pro Net. “Before the start it felt a bit strange. I didn’t quite feel in full race mode yet,” he explained. That mood shifted quickly as the decisive moment approached. “As soon as we got to the start, the nerves kicked in and that little pre-race stress came back,” he noted, describing a familiar sensation for any pro, even one with his experience.

The Swiss also highlighted the particular context of the test. The heat was a factor, as was the novelty of the team for him and the discipline itself for some of his teammates. “It was a hot day, a new team for me, and a new discipline for some of the guys we have here,” he said. Beyond the result, Küng stressed the developmental value of this team time trial. “For us it’s a learning step towards Paris–Nice, the Tour de France and what comes after. That’s why it was important to do it and start building,” he added.

Assessing how the test unfolded, Küng was realistic. He acknowledged there is still work to do, which is normal at this point in the calendar. “I think we took away several learning points. It’s early in the season and it’s always hard to judge, but we still executed the exercise quite well,” he explained. The overall balance was positive, although the Swiss made it clear ambition is constant. “There are one or two things we can improve and we’ll see what our time is worth at the end,” he pointed out.

The final result left Tudor very close to Team Jayco AlUla, a situation that Küng met with mixed feelings. “Being that close to Jayco isn’t bad at all, but of course I’d have preferred to beat them,” he admitted candidly. The personal reference did not go unnoticed. “I know Marco Pinotti pretty well and, yes, this result stings a bit,” he said, noting that the gap was minimal both at the intermediate split and at the finish, barely two seconds.

Asked whether the team might have started too conservatively, Küng avoided easy excuses. “It’s hard to judge. You do the recon, but it’s not the same as riding at race speed,” he explained. He did identify a precise point where the team lost flow. “At the roundabout, seven kilometres from the finish, we were quite slow and we lost speed there. At this level, if you drop ten kilometres per hour you shouldn’t lose, it’s very hard to get it back,” he analysed.

Even so, the Swiss avoided a simplistic reading based on isolated seconds. “It’s easy to say we lost two seconds here or two there, but the important thing is the whole,” he said. His conclusion was clear and true to his competitive nature. “You always want more, I always want more, but it was a good effort.” A solid debut, rich in learning and with room to grow for Stefan Küng, who is already beginning to write his new story with Tudor.