"I have sleepless nights about it" - Simon Pellaud saddened by Tudor's refusal of contract renewal

Tudor Pro Cycling is having a great Tour de Langkawi with two stage victories for Arvid de Kleijn. While there are all the reasons to celebrate on the team bus, there is one man who's having bittersweet emotions as his stay with the Swiss team is coming to an end - Simon Pellaud.

WielerFlits spoke to Pellaud, who was given his own chance and rode a large part of the stage in front of the peloton as a part of the breakaway. He himself brought up his impending departure from the team. "Those Dutch guys are real jerks," he jokes. "This really is the best group I've ever experienced, but next year I won't be part of it anymore. And that's very difficult for me."

According to Pellaud, he was never told he wouldn't be renewed, nor the opposite - making the wait unbearable. "But I have understood the message. I cannot accept it in my head yet. I really have sleepless nights about it," says the 31-year-old Swiss. Pellaud confirms that his future is still unclear and that nothing concrete is going on at the moment, which makes the uncertainty even greater.

"I am experiencing great moments here, but at the same time it is also very difficult," says Pellaud, who also knows that it could mean the end of his career. "Yes, but I still have so much grit and good feelings in my legs. That is why I cannot accept it for myself yet."

Before Pellaud gets any time for regrets, he's still got some racing to do with the team's star sprinter Arvid de Kleijn in Malaysia where the Dutchman already won three stages. "But at the moment it is important that we have to win a lot with the team. I have always said that I will continue to give everything for those Dutchmen. What happens after that, we will see, but I will continue to do my best."