Tudor Pro Cycling's season was aimed towards the first week of Tour de France. With some of the best puncheurs in the world recruited ahead of this season, the Swiss team hope to leave their mark during a debut Tour. And with in-form Julian Alaphilippe among their ranks, it no longer sounds like a daring goal.
In Boulogne-sur-Mer, we have seen the 32-year-old at the front of the race in key moments, and ultimately finished inside the top-5. "I launched the sprint too early, so I couldn't do better than fifth place," Alaphilippe explains in a press communication. "But honestly, after the hard day I had yesterday, I'm not disappointed.
The Frenchman tried to use knowledge of the terrain as an ace up his sleeve, but there were simply stronger men today. "I tried to go with 500m cause I knew there was a flatter part but when I saw Mathieu in my wheel, I stopped the effort, went back to the wheel before the final sprint. I am happy to feel better, it gives confidence for the upcoming days."
Marc Hirschi finished in the same group, crossing the line in 14th place: "I had good legs but the final sprint was a bit too hard," he admits. "I am happy to have the legs to be with the first group with all top favorites. I hope it gets better day by day and I can find an opportunity in the second or last week of the race."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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