"You have to make everything perfect": German top prospect on neo-pro lessons and World Tour reality

2025 marked Tim Torn Teutenberg’s first full season at World Tour level. The German talent enjoyed a solid year, balancing domestique duties with the freedom to chase his own results in selected races. After securing several podium finishes, he now hopes to convert those near-misses into victories next season.

Teutenberg comes from a cycling family, but he insists this background has never been a source of pressure. “I think a lot of people think it puts some pressure on me, or also on my sister. I think we never really took it like this, for us it was more of a support, I think it helped us to maybe get to where we are now with a good support system around us,” he said in an interview to Domestique.

His father Lars Teutenberg has been instrumental in shaping his development. “My dad has a lot of knowledge in many things in cycling, so I think without him, I definitely wouldn't be like who I am now and have the knowledge and the abilities that I have.”

Teutenberg’s biggest result to date came with his victory at Paris-Roubaix Espoirs in 2024. “It was a super nice day. It was also pretty much the first victory for me. I won the GC of the Olympia's Tour before, but this was the first victory where I went first over the line and could celebrate. So it was super nice to win the race and to have maybe the confirmation that I can maybe win races and achieve maybe some bigger goals and win some bigger races.”

Teutenberg doesn't consider himself as a pure sprinter. Instead, he sees his future in hard and selective races. “Paris–Roubaix is a big race, it’s great. If you can win in the Velodrome with all those people around and then lift the stone, it’s a magical moment. But there are other great races. I’d put the Tour of Flanders and the Worlds on the same level. It would be hard to pick, but they’re definitely at the top of the list.”

At Lidl-Trek, Teutenberg is surrounded by experienced winners, which he sees as a major advantage for his development. “You can always learn a lot from the older riders. From big champions you can probably learn the most - they know how to win the big races and achieve great things."

And who are the teammates from whom he can learn the most? He has a clear answer: "Mads Pedersen is a guy you can always learn something from; he works super hard, trying to beat the unbeatable. If I need a tip, he’s open-minded to give it. Soren Kragh Andersen has a lot of experience as well and he’s always there if you need advice."

2025 was his first full season as a pro, and it was a year to learn. Despite not winning any race, he wasn't far in some of them. “At that level, you cannot just sprint and try to be the strongest; you have to make everything perfect. I wasn’t sprinting against other U23s anymore; I was against guys who’ve already won Tour stages. I was close a few times, but I made some mistakes or didn’t have the legs. That’s the game, I’ll try again next season.”

Racing against top sprinters as an emerging talent has also forced him to balance respect with self-belief. “You should stay humble, the moment where I might think 'I've made it' is when you beat them. I have a lot of respect for the big guys. Sprint finals are always a bit sketchy, and sometimes it gets more difficult because you respect them so much you don’t want to do anything too crazy. Being too careful doesn’t help your own performance.”

Looking ahead, Teutenberg outlined what races he will target in 2026, revealing he might be at the start of his first Grand Tour. “I’ll start with the Tour Down Under, then normally Algarve, and after that the Belgian Classics. We’ll see how the year goes. If I show good performances early on, the Vuelta could be interesting.”

The route of the Vuelta does not really suit him, but the lack of pure sprinters may help him to shine. “It scared me a bit… pretty heavy,” he admitted, “but with fewer pure sprints there might be better chances if you climb well.”