“I find it a bit weird” – Michael Storer questions Pogacar and UAE’s tactics at the Tour de France

Michael Storer didn’t win a stage at this year’s Tour de France, but the 28-year-old Australian believes Tudor Pro Cycling left with something even more valuable: attention. Speaking with Aidan Burgess on the Domestique Hotseat podcast, Storer opened up about a memorable July, his first Tour with Tudor, highlighting everything from Alaphilippe’s selflessness, to team tension over tactics, and why cherry juice isn’t the secret to recovery.

Reflecting on one of the biggest surprises of the race, Storer didn’t hesitate to point out the surreal reality of being supported by two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe. “It's pretty cool when Julian’s riding for you,” he said. “Everyone knows who he is, what he's done… I still consider him one of the best bike racers in the world. He's just lacking a little bit of fitness. Hopefully next year, or towards the end of this year, he finds that little bit that’s missing. Then it'll be reversing the roles, you'll see me riding for him.”

Storer said Alaphilippe’s humility stood out. “Some people with big egos wouldn’t do that… but he is all in for the team.” On certain stages, he offered to ride for Storer without needing to be asked by the directors. “He just told me straight up: on these certain days, I’ll help you.”

That support helped produce one of Storer’s most notable performances of the race, a third-place finish on stage six. Ironically, he hadn’t planned to be in the breakaway that day. “We had some funny analogies like, ‘Michael’s still in the fridge staying fresh,’ I was supposed to stay quiet until stage 10. But then I saw how the race was developing. It took over two hours for a breakaway to form, and no one from our team was in it. So I followed Simon Yates, and that ended up being the move.”

The call to jump wasn’t pre-approved, but it paid off. “Those days where you’ve done two hours of racing and then you're the guy who follows just one move into the break, you feel pretty badass.”

Tudor’s strategy, however, wasn’t without friction. “There were arguments before the race, after the race, and on the radio about tactics,” he said. “In the end, I have to do what they say.”

He agreed with fans who thought he’d chased too many breakaways. “Totally agree. But that wasn’t my decision, that was the team’s decision.”

Despite missing out on a win, Tudor was seen as one of the Tour’s most visible teams. “Yeah, definitely a success. We're joking that we didn’t win a stage, but we won the hearts of the fans. We won at social media,” Storer said. “Julian especially. After he finished third, L'Équipe ran a huge front-page photo of him. I don’t think they actually know who won that stage.”

Storer spent much of the race in breakaways, including several with Quinn Simmons. “I'd say it’s all respect. I talked to him a lot during the Tour. If I was going into a breakaway, he’d be one of the people I’d be hoping is in there too. That guy pushes some big numbers. If you need to stop the peloton, he’s the one. But if you need to beat the guy, that’s a problem.”

Modern breakaways, Storer said, are nothing like what they used to be. “The 10-minute breakaways are finished. It’s all about forcing the breakaway now. The peloton doesn’t let you go, they have to be broken. That makes the racing extremely hard.”

He pointed to dangerous road conditions and poor preparation outside of the Tour as part of the problem. “That’s why we crash going in a straight line, like we did in Naples at the Giro. The road was filthy. I knew we were all going to crash that day.”

Storer also didn’t shy away from commenting on Tadej Pogacar’s selective stage hunting. “At least one day, I had some info that Tadej decided not to win that stage. I find it a bit weird if you get your team to ride full gas all day and then on the last climb you just decide not to win. If you don’t want to win the stage, decide that beforehand.”

Storer’s move to Tudor from Groupama - FDJ was about more than bikes, it was about being valued. “I wanted to go to a team that actually cared about making me good. Groupama doesn’t have the best support structure. They kind of just expect you to be good, but not actually do anything to help you be a good cyclist.”

At Tudor, things are different. “I'm pretty much their main guy. So they’re throwing a lot of resources behind me to help me be good.”

As for Fabian Cancellara, the team’s marquee name and co-owner, his role is largely symbolic. “He’s pretty hands off. He doesn’t have a huge influence on the day-to-day. His real role is more ambassadorial.”

One topic Storer found particularly ridiculous? Watches in racing. “I’m totally fine with not wearing a Richard Mille on the cobbles. Cyclists are so focused on aerodynamics, then wear watches with drag. It makes no sense.”

He also dismissed overhyped recovery hacks. “There’s no magic cherry juice potion that’s going to fix your recovery. Maybe it’s 0.1% of your recovery. If I was an amateur, I wouldn’t be buying cherry juice.”

Asked about changes he’d like to see in the sport, Storer didn’t hold back. “The handlebar rule is stupid. Wider bars are probably more dangerous. The UCI point system is also dumb. It should be on a one-year cycle. If it was, we'd be WorldTour at the end of this season. And they should sweep the roads before races. That's why we crash in straight lines sometimes.”

His advice for juniors was as thoughtful as it was practical. “Where you really need to be good is under-19s if you want to make it pro. Focus on school. Do school as well as you can, it’s the only time you get free education. Make your training efficient and have a social life. That sets you up for a better future.”