"I'm not 100% satisfied with the season" - Marc Hirschi looks to bounce back in 2026 with Ardennes and Giro d'Italia debut
Cycling
After four seasons with UAE Team Emirates - XRG, Marc Hirschi moved away and into a more familiar setting with the Swiss Tudor Pro Cycling Team. It was a year where he wasn't often present at the head of affairs however, but he wants to change that. At the team's media day in Moraira, Hirschi discussed his goals and schedule for 2026.
Hirschi won on his debut with Tudor at the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana still in January, but never again reached the same level of success throughout 2025. "It was good to start with a win. But after that, I was hoping for more," Hirschi said in words to Cyclism'Actu. Near misses at the Swiss national championships and Gran Piemonte could've saved his season, but the 27-year old had to settle for a modest season in his first year at ProTeam level.
"Sometimes it was pretty good, but I was never at my peak. So overall, I'm not 100% satisfied with the season. There were a lot of good moments: it was great to be on the Tour [de France] with the team for the first time, and I have lots of good memories with them. But in terms of performance, I really hope that in 2026 I can take that next step and get more wins, maybe in bigger races."
At the Ardennes, Tour de Suisse and Tour de France, when it mattered the most, Hirschi simply did not have the legs and wasn't close to achieving meaningful results. "It's hard to say. I think they were small things, but in the end, the little things make a difference. I wasn't far from my best level, but if you're missing a few percent, you're not at your peak," he added.
Start in Mallorca and focus on the Ardennes
In 2026 the plan is not going to be overly different, but there are changes to his training program which he hopes will end up benefitting him. "I'll do the altitude training camp a little later to stay fresh. Maybe one or two fewer races at the beginning, especially stage races, so I don't overdo it and have more time to train".
"Then, it will be small adjustments: a little more work on explosiveness. With age and all the miles in my legs, you sometimes have to put a little more emphasis on the hard efforts".
The Swiss classics specialist will start his season in Mallorca and its many hilly races where he will have a few opportunities to open up his tally for the year; and will then follow a program fully consisting of one-day races throughout the entire spring.
Figueira Champions Classic; Faun-Àrdeche Classic and Faun Drôme Classic; followed by a lengthy training block which will lead him towards the three Ardennes classics and then his Giro d'Italia debut.
Marc Hirschi with Isaac del Toro and Bauke Mollema on the podium of the 2025 Gran Piemonte
"The first major goal will be the Ardennes Classics. We have a really great team with Julian [Alaphilippe] and everyone else, so we can aim for some good results. Then, I'll be doing the Giro d'Italia for the first time," he revealed. Hirschi has four Tour de France participations, but has interestingly never started one of the other Grand Tours.
"The course is really nice, so it will be a big goal. At the end of the season, the second half will be dedicated to the World Championships in Montreal, which have a similar course to other races I've already done. That will also be a big goal".
"What's great about Tudor is the trust and leadership they give me. I have a lot of freedom here. But in the end, in the race, what counts is the legs," he concluded. "You can be on the best team in the world, but if you don't have the legs, you won't win anything. So it was a good first year, but what matters is training and having the legs to win".
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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