"That was a dream, even to ride there" - Corbin Strong on Tour de France debut, sprint style and goals for 2024
Cycling
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.”
Read also
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.
claps 3visitors 1
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I see (elsewhere) that Alaphilippe had more to say than what got relayed in this stub. Me: he was very good early but his latter third trajectory was the pits. His old boss did what he could (huffed and puffed) but Julian couldn't get his greatness back. Sometimes I wonder if crashes that didn't look like much changed the course of the rider.flyer14-11-2026
- I wouldn't classify it as a gift because the nasty consequences of taking it from Sepp would have been great and would persist and he knew it.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. Tratnik's good and Red Bull's better so Tratnik may get what he wants.flyer14-11-2026
- Ok. So just saying he wasn't enjoying racing anymore is some kind of explanation? Me saying I don't enjoy his explanation is more explaining than he did.flyer14-11-2026
- Buitrago, was he their best rider in 2026? He's the chief loss for them and Martinez and Tiberi (especially) have to step up or they will be overtaken by Bahrain's younger riders like Omrzel. I'm still somewhat high on Martinez but Tiberi, after showing signs of promise, has fizzled. Bahrain still has a good team but they need to improve and exceed expectations. I'd be happy if Mohoric could manage to return to his better form for maybe one last year at least.flyer14-11-2026
- Hmmm, "... I just gained 30 seconds purely off the bike. Because it's really a big, big improvement compared to the previous bike". Is that marketing for Specialized or serious valid hype, or something in between? Very likely the former.flyer14-11-2026
- Nothing revelatory or controversial. Why do we have to report on Bruyneel's or Armstrong's thinking. It's a shame and enough that the Move's on TV and that people watch it .flyer14-11-2026
- Makes sense that training from home is a big asset or advantage but it's still remarkable that he can put in three quality majors and not pay some heavy price for the exertion. I wish he would have won that tour stage that his crash while leading allowed Carapaz the win. He's a darn good rider and teammate.flyer14-11-2026
- Sounds like we all agree with the over under exaggeration: "The German’s signing does not guarantee that Evenepoel will win the Tour in 2027. "flyer14-11-2026
- Seixas appears to be that good but if he isn't (an absolute rival to Pogacar) he would have plenty of company in rising stars that did not go on to fully meet the expectations of many. That Pogacar wasn't the greatest (as great) sooner can't be transposed onto another's development. It may be not that simple.flyer14-11-2026
Loading
Arnaud De Lie s'est imposé sir le GP de Québec 🇨🇦 #GPCQM devant Corbin Strong et Michael Matthews. #cyclisme #velortbf #wielrennen
Write a comment