“I don’t see why I shouldn’t dream of that” - Michael Storer targets Giro d’Italia podium despite Jonas Vingegaard threat

A year ago, Michael Storer quietly rode to another top 10 finish at the Giro d’Italia. Now, the Tudor Pro Cycling Team leader believes he can aim significantly higher.

Speaking to Velora ahead of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, Storer admitted he is openly targeting an improvement on the 10th places he recorded in both 2024 and 2025, even with overwhelming favourite Jonas Vingegaard lining up for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. “I don’t see why I shouldn’t dream of that,” Storer said when discussing the possibility of fighting for the podium in Rome.

At the same time, the Australian also made clear he remains realistic about the scale of the challenge. “Every year is different,” he explained.

The Australian’s confidence does not appear to be built on blind optimism either. Instead, much of it comes from the belief that his previous Giro performances failed to fully reflect his actual level. “No-one actually knew that I crashed a lot during the Giro last year,” Storer revealed. “I had four different crashes. I think that took a bit out of me.”

Storer’s 10th place at the 2025 Giro was widely viewed as another solid but unspectacular Grand Tour result. Internally, however, the feeling now appears quite different.

The Australian believes repeated crashes throughout the race significantly disrupted his campaign, potentially masking a stronger overall level than many realised at the time. That matters heading into 2026 because Storer now arrives arguably in the strongest sustained form of his career. Over the last 12 months he has established himself as Tudor’s clear GC reference point, winning the 2025 Tour of the Alps overall and continuing to develop into one of the most reliable climbers outside cycling’s absolute elite tier.

His recent form has again been encouraging this spring, including another strong Tour of the Alps campaign where both Storer and teammate Mathys Rondel emerged as genuine climbing threats ahead of the Giro.

Rather than arriving in Italy built entirely around one rider, Tudor are instead leaning into a shared leadership structure between Storer and Rondel. The 22-year-old Frenchman heads into his first Grand Tour after impressive performances at Paris-Nice and the Tour of the Alps, and Storer appears fully supportive of the dual approach. “We’re doing shared leadership for the race,” the Australian explained. “It’s always better to have two riders up there than me being by myself or Mathys being by himself.”

Storer also suggested Rondel’s development has helped reinforce Tudor’s confidence heading into the race. “Mathys has shown that he can ride GC in WorldTour races and week-long races, and he is growing stronger and stronger,” he said. “I think he has a lot of potential.”

The structure itself also reflects Tudor’s broader evolution as a team. Rather than approaching the Giro simply chasing opportunistic stage wins, the Swiss squad now appear increasingly convinced they can compete seriously in the general classification battle behind Vingegaard.

“I think approaching the race this way is a benefit to the team as well,” Storer explained. “It gives Mathys and I more motivation to really race into the final. And it’s good that we have both of us in good shape ready to do this Giro.”

Storer himself appears realistic about the scale of the challenge awaiting him. “I want to do better than the last two times with the 10th place on the GC,” he said. “But at the same time, the competition’s super, super hard.”

The Australian specifically highlighted riders such as Adam Yates and Giulio Pellizzari among the names he expects to battle near the front of the race. “Adam Yates would definitely be really, really strong and a good pick for the final podium,” Storer predicted.

On Pellizzari, he added with a laugh: “I think Pellizzari is, well I hope, the main rival. That means I’m doing a good race if I can be up there with him.”

The route itself may also help Storer’s ambitions. The 2026 Giro contains several summit finishes expected to create major GC gaps, including Blockhaus, Pila, Cari and Piancavallo, all stages the Australian believes should suit his climbing characteristics. “The mountaintop finishes should be quite good for me on paper,” he explained.

The obvious danger remains stage 10’s 42 kilometre flat time trial, which could significantly reshape the general classification before the race reaches its decisive mountain block. “If you have a bad day in the TT, it’s a lot worse than a bad day in a road stage,” Storer admitted. “You’ve got no one who can give you a hand.”

Still, the Australian’s comments suggest a rider whose mentality heading into Grand Tours has changed considerably over the last two seasons. “There’s also other process goals that I want to do during the race,” he explained. “So it’s not like if I do worse, maybe I’m still happy with how the race went.”

The Giro will also begin in completely unfamiliar surroundings for Storer, with the Grande Partenza taking place in Bulgaria. “I think it is going to be an interesting experience,” he said.

For Tudor, though, the bigger picture is already becoming clear. The team no longer seem satisfied simply participating in Grand Tours. With Storer and Rondel both climbing strongly heading into the Giro, the Swiss squad increasingly believe they belong in the sport’s growing battle behind Vingegaard and the established WorldTour GC teams.