"Success will not come with money" - Fabian Cancellara on future of his new Swiss team project

Fabian Cancellara was one of the most prominent figures in all of pro cycling's history and his role from outside of the bike is beginning to be more and more important, as he looks to bring up and evolve the Swiss Tudor Pro Cycling Team into high levels.

"I don't do unserious stuff, otherwise I stay home, I go on the beach and have a good time with my family. If I do things, I want to do them properly and right," Cancellara told Cyclingnews. "And I think the partner we have is serious and proper." The Swiss legend is working in the management of the Tudor Pro Cycling Team, one of Switzerland's few professional cycling projects - which has raised out of the old Swiss Cycling Academy, which will keep existing as an under-23 team.

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"Our first ambition is to have a good structure," Cancellara said. "The important thing is to create this structure, and the foundation is the people we have. The riders will come and go, unfortunately, that's the reality, but we are on the normal way to grow. How far we can go, we will see. But we're ready to become a ProTeam next year, and the next steps are starting," he confirmed. "I'm super excited."

The team, turned professional in 2019, has seen the likes of Stefan Bissegger and Mauro Schmid go through it, and hosts a variety of riders who also specialize in cyclocross, track and mountain biking such as current rider Filippo Colombo. The team is looking to retain it's current and future national talents and build out from there.

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"It's about creating the foundations and then working on the steps. Success will not come with money. Cycling has certain rules, which are patience and time," Cancellara continues, fully knowing what it takes from within the cycling bubble. "For me, it's more important to talk about the team than about who is going to come in."

"We are Swiss, and we want to have the Swiss mentality, which doesn't mean that we only have money," Cancellara said. "No, we don't have money to throw around. But when the Swiss do organization, I think they do it right. And that's also what we want to have."

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"Stefan Bissegger was in this team once, and Mauro Schmid also came up through the team. Will Swiss riders want to join us, or will they want to go outside? Hopefully, once they see what we can do, we won't need to present ourselves anymore," he argued, ambitioning a climb to Pro Team level in 2024.

The former World and Olympic Champion has also been mostly keen on the management side, before focusing on signings. "We always remember that we're dealing with athletes and with humans. I've said already I don't want ten o'clock conference calls. No. Sorry, it doesn't work: everyone has a life. We need to find a balance."

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"I'm not the director, I'm not the soigneur, I'm not the chief master. I'm not Lefevere, Bjarne Riis or Jonathan Vaughters. I'm an addition, but I have good people around me. So when we go and present our team, it's not just me. It's this 'us' and this 'we,' not this 'I'," he concluded.

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