Fabian Cancellara thrilled to lead Tudor Pro Cycling at debut Giro d'Italia - "It is a very proud moment both for me and for the entire team"

Fabian Cancellara retired from pro cycling in 2016 but has since maintained a presence in the sport. A big part of it was as part of the Swiss Tudor Pro Cycling Team created years later, and today the news came out that the Swiss team has received an invitation to the Giro d'Italia, it's first Grand Tour.

“It is a very proud moment both for me and for the entire team," the Swiss legend said in a press release. "The Giro d’Italia is such an iconic race. It always delivers fantastic racing and brings forth the true passion for cycling in Italy. I keep great memories of my own experience at the race even though I never managed to take a win. I can’t wait to see the Tudor Pro Cycling team play an active role there and would like to thank RCS for their trust in our project”.

Alongside Israel - Premier Tech, Team Polti Kometa and VF Group - Bardiani CSF - Faizané, Tudor has received one of the wildcards for the race. This marks an important step for the Switzerland-based lineup. The team was created in 2019 and took the leap to ProTeam in 2023. Alongside Arvid de Kleijn, the team is expected to want to leave it's mark in the race with Italian signings Alberto Dainese and Matteo Trentin - both former winners at the Corsa Rosa.

“The invitation is a great recognition of the work that has been done by the entire team since we entered the pro ranks last year. It can seem like a big step forward for our young team, but we feel it is a logical evolution," team CEO Raphael Meyer emphasized. "We have taken steps including the signing of experienced riders and staff to be ready to perform at this level. We will be racing there with the same daring spirit we have shown last season, and we aim to bring home a stage win.”