"It was a big moment in the development of our squad" - Fabian Cancellara proud of how Tudor Pro Cycling rode their first Tour of Flanders

In his column for Cyclingnews, Tudor Pro Cycling's mentor Fabian Cancellara looked back at his team's debut at the Flemish Monument, highlighting the importance of this experience for riders involved. Despite the fact that team encountered mix of unluck and bad days.

"At Tudor Pro Cycling Team, we made our debut at the Tour of Flanders, and that was a big moment in the development of our squad. It wasn’t the best day we’ve had in the Classics this Spring, but it was still a very important experience for everybody."

"Even if we didn’t get the outcome we wanted in terms of a result, the process was still a good one. We had a plan and the team executed it, despite the miserable weather and some bad luck. Marius Mayrhofer, for example, had a couple of punctures at really bad moments. You can’t come back from that, but that’s just sport."

"We were aiming for a top 10 finish, but we had to settle for 19th with Matteo Trentin. He didn’t have his best day, and he said as much afterwards. If he had been on a normal day in a race like this, then he would definitively have been up there with the guys riding for the places in the top 10. At the end here, he was suffering, and he wasn’t even able to do the sprint with his small group. That happens, and Matteo was still happy with how the team has progressed in these races. That’s what counts."