"I want to experience another adventure": Stefan Küng parts ways with Groupama - FDJ to take on a new challenge

Stefan Küng wrote his final chapter in the jersey of Groupama - FDJ at the Chrono des Nations last Sunday. The partnership produced many stunning performances over the seven years and the two parties say goodbye in a friendly manner, the Swissman believes. For the 31-year-old time trial specialist, a new adventure is up ahead with Tudor Pro Cycling where under the guidance of Swiss chrono legend Fabian Cancellara, he hopes to add some great triumphs to his palmares.

"We had some great years together. We were able to achieve great things, with lots of victories. I thank the team and all the staff very much for the journey we have made together, and even if we will be opponents next year, we will remain friends," he smiled in an interview for Direct Velo.

Küng turned professional with BMC in 2015 and defended the colours of the American team until its disbandement in 2018. During that period, Küng had already established himself as one of the most promising up and coming time trialists in the peloton.

However his big breakthrough would only come in Groupama - FDJ. Racing for the French formation, Küng became the European ITT champion and even became a contender for victory at one of the major cobbled Classics - though that result has not yet materialized.

For the next three years, he will race in the colors of Swiss ProTeam Tudor where he should link up with Matteo Trentin to become the team's spearhead heading towards the Flemish Classics. And if his performances take a similar leap as in 2019, a top result could be just around the corner.

"I always said that I wanted to experience another adventure in my career. Even if you are happy in a team, a new challenge is a boost. You question yourself, in a new environment, with new people, and for me that is an additional motivation. I am really looking forward to embarking on this new adventure."

Küng's final race in Groupama - FDJ jersey was the Chrono des Nations. A prestigious time trial that the Swissman managed to triumph in three times before. However became the prey of young supertalent Joshua Tarling. The rising British star was over a minute faster than Küng who was also beaten by Jay Vine on Sunday, thus settling down for a third place.

"Obviously, when you've already won three times, you start with the ambition of winning. However, it's always better to finish 3rd than 5th. It's a nice podium. The season hasn't been easy for me. So it's rather positive to finish on a good note," he said.

The Groupama - FDJ rider was not far off the best at the first intermediate stages, but ultimately lost by quite a margin. "And it ended up being a lot at the en," he noted. "I was doing well, but I felt I was missing that little bit more to really get better."

What made the race hard for Küng was the rain that begun to pour down during the elite race. "It certainly added to the difficulty of the race. During the recon this morning, the roads were still dry, so I didn't know if it was slippery or not."

Küng has already crashed a couple times in time trials before and certainly wouldn't want to end the season that way. Right at the first roundabout, when he wanted to accelerate, he had "a little scare with a slight skid" from the rear. "In the corners, I played it safe, but there are a lot of straights to push on. It's a course I like."