"Guys really believe in the project" - Matteo Trentin explains that arrivals of Hirschi & Alaphilippe to Tudor are by no means a coincidence

Tudor Pro Cycling is not shy about their goal to reach WorldTour, ideally after the next UCI-license cycle. The pair of high-profile signings only support this ambition. Matteo Trentin has been with the project for a year now and had the opportunity to witness the Swiss team's progress first-hand.

"Tudor has made a big step forward," he explains to Bici.PRO. "Not from a numerical point of view, because we only won two more races than in 2023. But we did achieve two successes in the WorldTour events: in Paris-Nice and the Tour de Romandie."

For the Italian veteran, this was the first year at professional level where he did not ride for a WorldTour team: was there a difference? "Not really. In terms of the calendar, it is a bit more difficult, because you have to wait for invitations. This year we did not do Paris-Roubaix or the Tour de France, but even with UAE Team Emirates it was not obvious to do certain races, given the large selection. I did more or less the same races as in 2023, but the way I rode changed a bit."

"At UAE, when Pogacar was there, people rode for him," Trentin explains. "Eventually, at Tudor, during the Giro, we worked for Dainese in the flat stages and for Storer in the mountain stages. The two stages where I had more freedom, I tried to be in the breakaway to seize my chances."

For next year, Tudor will significantly strengthen in the classics department with the arrivals of Marc Hirschi and Julian Alaphilippe. "I think it's great that two riders of this calibre are coming to race in a ProTour team, it means that they really believe in the project."

Incidentally, both happen to be Trentin's former teammates. "He (Hirschi) will find more space with us, and he will have the team more at his disposal than he did at UAE. Even without Pogacar, it is still a team full of champions where there is a big battle going on to determine who is number two."

Trentin also hopes that Alaphilippe can regain his old form in a new environment. "Alaphilippe showed that he is recovering after two complicated seasons. This year he managed to win again, like in the Giro d'Italia. He will be in a team where they will have a lot of confidence in him and that will help him a lot in my opinion."