"That was a dream, even to ride there" - Corbin Strong on Tour de France debut, sprint style and goals for 2024

Second at the GP de Québec, fifth at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and a stage winner at the Tour of Luxembourg, Corbin Strong has learnt where he belongs in the peloton. The Kiwi thrives in the hilly sprints and looks to take his first big win in 2024.

“I was in good shape early on, but that was not really reflected in the results. Later in the season we were more successful in converting this into results. The last few months have been a lot of fun," Strong told Wielerflits. “I hope there is more to come. I especially learned that I have to have confidence in myself and that my sprint is good. Before I became a professional, I didn't really see myself as a sprinter, but now that I'm competing more and more in the peloton, I realize that I can compete with the fastest.”

The Israel - Premier Tech rider has enjoyed a season full of freedom as the team didn't have a set sprinter to work for throughout the many months, and Strong was often the card to play. Here he managed to learn how he compares to the pure sprinters, but also alongside world-class puncheurs in slightly hilly races. In this terrain is where he performed at his best.

“Pure bunch sprints are not really my thing, they are more the sprints of smaller groups. In that area it certainly helps that I have more confidence in my sprint," he adds. "I love those punchy sprints, but I also continue to discover myself and am curious about what else will be possible in the coming years." At the GP de Québec only Arnaud De Lie beat him to the line, in what would've been a breakthrough result for the 23-year old.

“That was a dream, even to ride there. I was able to learn a lot from our experienced team there. We had several successes, including Michael Woods' stage victory. That was very inspiring. I hope I can ride the Tour more often and hope to one day win a stage myself. But this was a great experience," he shares on his Grand Boucle debut.

Although his skillset fits other Grand Tours slightly better, he has taken another step this season and is looking to further evolve into 2024: "I want to turn more opportunities into wins. I already won in the Tour of Luxembourg, but I would like to cheer more often. I will soon get my first opportunities, because the Tour Down Under and the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race will be my first competitions.”