“We want to be bigger and better – it’s time to step up a level”: Fabian Cancellara’s quest for WorldTour status at Tudor Pro Cycling Team

When Fabian Cancellara and his management team began building Tudor Pro Cycling Team three years ago, the vision was clear: establish a stable structure, attract big names and results, and work their way towards the sport’s top tier. After an impressive 2025 season capped by Michael Storer’s podium at Il Lombardia, Cancellara believes the team has reached a turning point.

“We’re working hard for moments like these, so we can keep improving and keep growing. We want to be a bigger and better team, we’re not yet where we want to be,” Cancellara told Cycling News after the race in Bergamo.

For a team that started as a second-division outfit, Tudor’s rise has been notable. Storer delivered stage wins at Paris–Nice, the overall at Tour of the Alps, top ten at Giro d’Italia and stood on the Lombardia podium alongside Tadej Pogacar and Remco Evenepoel — results that underlined both his and the team’s growing stature.

Elsewhere, road captain Matteo Trentin added a symbolic 15th win of the year with his triumph at Paris–Tours. Big-name signings Julian Alaphilippe and Marc Hirschi may not have produced headline results every week, but their consistency contributed crucial ranking points, ensuring Tudor will be invited to all major WorldTour events in 2026. “You learn by working hard and by making mistakes, by doing things well and then realising when you haven’t done things as well as you should have,” Cancellara reflected. “That is perhaps the story of our 2025 season.”

The Swiss team is far from content with steady progress. Reinforcements are on the way, with Stefan Kung returning home to add firepower for the cobbled Classics. Storer has extended through 2028, while Luca Mozzato and Will Barta join for added depth. The squad is anchored by long-term deals for Alaphilippe and Hirschi and underpinned by heavyweight backers including MSC, BMC, Red Bull, Assos and Boss.

“We’ve been a ProTeam for three years now and so it’s the end of a first cycle, now it’s time to step up another level,” Cancellara said. “We’re building a new team headquarters in Switzerland, and we’re set to secure an invitation to all the WorldTour races in 2026 thanks to our excellent ranking this year.”

Tudor scored more points in 2025 than a third of the WorldTour, but the current three-year promotion system has left them outside the top tier for the next cycle. It’s a frustration Cancellara doesn’t hide. “Our next step has to be part of the WorldTour but will the WorldTour exist in three years’ time? I don’t know. We’ve got to work under the current system and play by the current rules,” he admitted.

That hasn’t dampened the team’s ambition. With Kung, Alaphilippe, Hirschi and Mozzato targeting the Classics and Storer building on his breakthrough season, Tudor are aiming high. “We’d love to win a big Classic but even I know it’s not easy,” Cancellara said. “We race to win, that’s for sure, but when you’re racing against Tadej Pogacar or Mathieu van der Poel in the Classics, it’s never easy.”

As the riders enjoy their off-season, Cancellara and his management team are already deep into planning mode. Training camps, logistics and 2026 strategy are in motion. The momentum is clear, the structure increasingly solid, and the ambition unwavering.

“There’s a lot to do,” Cancellara said. “The riders rightly get to enjoy a holiday now but the team management is busy preparing for 2026. We’re hard at work for what comes next.”

Tudor may not yet be part of the WorldTour, but their intent could not be clearer. This is a project designed for the long haul — and one now knocking loudly on the sport’s top-tier door.