"We still 100% support him": Cancellara is confident in Marc Hirschi's return to spotlight in 2026

Marc Hirschi joined Tudor Pro Cycling ahead of last season as a winner of 9 races the year prior who scored over 3500 UCI points. Naturally, the expectations of the Swiss puncheur's arrival were through the roof, but it's fair to conclude that his debut in home team outfit went far from ideal. Numbers speak for themselves, only one victory and 1200 UCI points. Just enough to make Hirschi Tudor's third most productive rider of the year, but not quite what would've either the team owner Fabian Cancellara or Hirschi himself hoped for.

"I was hoping for more. Sometimes things were pretty good, but I was never at my absolute best. So overall, I'm not 100% satisfied with the season," Hirschi told Cyclism'Actu. "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 per cent, you're not at your peak."

Unlike in 2025, Hirschi won't target the Tour de France this year. Instead, the Swissman will debut at Giro d'Italia. But before that, the 27-year-old will ride a number of one-day races in preparation for his main goal of the spring, the Ardennes Classics.

The approach to the second half of March will however be a novelty for Hirschi, as he will skip all the big cobbled races as well as Milano-Sanremo to go on a training camp instead. "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," he explained.

Tudor Pro Cycling doesn't hide to be an ambitious team with plans to enter WorldTour in 2029. But in order to achieve so, they'll need from their leaders to be at the top of their game. Fortunately for Hirschi, the weight of pressure in one-day races will remain on his shoulders as Tudor can only rely on Julian Alaphilippe as an alternative in the biggest races.

"Marc Hirschi is still a team leader," Cancellara insisted when asked by Cyclingnews. "Maybe he disappeared in the results in terms of winning and showing himself, but he had a tough year and he was sick. He was super good at the start of the season, then got sick and then again. That was just the situation."

The team owner admits that Hirschi's role in Tudor is vastly different compared to his time at UAE Team Emirates - XRG, where the collective strength might have helped him at times, but at the same time limited Hirschi's own opportunities in biggest races.

"Before, he was kind of protected; whatever he did, they had Tadej Pogacar. Here, there's another spotlight and I think it's human that, in a Swiss team and with him being Swiss, there's a bit more pressure. But he's happy, and that's what also counts," Cancellara explained.

"Starting a new season, we're confident that he will be up there again where he wants to be and where we believe he can be. We will definitely support him 100%."