'Having WorldTour invitations gives some peace' – Tudor Pro Cycling aim higher in 2026 with Küng, Alaphilippe and Storer as leaders

Julian Alaphilippe and Stefan Küng at Tudor training camp
(Image credit: Tudor Pro Cycling)

The Tudor Pro Cycling team is not part of the WorldTour in 2026, but will compete and surely be successful at the highest level as they cdìontinue to grow and improve with Swiss precision and Fabian Cancellara's ambition.

The team made just a few strategic signings for 2026, adding Stefan Küng and Luca Mozzato to boost their Classics squad, the USA's Will Barta and Robin Donzé from their development team. Alberto Dainese left for Soudal-QuickStep, but Julian Alaphilippe, Marc Hirschi and Michael Storer remain in the second year of their contracts.

Tudor made their Tour de France debut in 2025. They went close to a stage victory and are more ambitious for 2026, even if Storer will again target the GC at the Giro d'Italia. Alaphilippe will target the Ardennes and Küng the cobbled Classics before combining for the Tour de France.

Küng will lead the team in the opening Tour de France team time trial and make his debut in Tudor's red and black colours at the Mallorca Challenge TTT.

Julian Alaphilippe struggled to be competitive in his first few months at Tudor, but he was often a vital team player and came close to a stage victory at the Tour. The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec was his only victory in 2025, but it was indicative of a return to his best. Matteo Trentin also returned to form, winning Paris-Tours at the end of the season.

"For sure, having WorldTour invitations gives some peace. It's new for us, before it was 'could we go' to races. Now we can go everywhere and even choose – comfortable situation. We won't change everything. We've added races, but having a guaranteed calendar helps a lot.

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Stephen Farrand
Editor-at-large

Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).

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