Tudor partners Fabian Cancellara for a new pro cycling team

Tudor announces a partnership with Fabian Cancellara, multiple Olympic and World Champion to found a new professional cycling team.

Press release information with commentary in italics.

Chillout TGIFridays: Tudor partners Fabian Cancellara for new pro cycling team

Commentary

An interesting turn of events for former multiple Olympic, World Champion and Classics winner, Fabian Cancallera, (two Olympic medals, four World Titles, seven Monument Classic wins, and more to his name) who has announced that he will create a new Swiss professional cycling team for 2022 in partnership with main and principal sponsor Tudor. We understand from Tudor, that they will not only be lending their name and financial support for the team, but will be intricately involved in the sport to promote cycling as well as the Swiss team. As cycling enthusiasts ourselves, see our various posts on hand made bicycles and rider profiles, we are in discussion with Tudor Singapore to look at forming a Singapore non-pro team. Its early days yet, but discussions are positive, and we hope to be able to announce the first inaugural ride soon. Watch this space.

Back to Fabian, and his team. Fabian emphasized in an interview with Cycling News that he will be the team owner, and take control of the Swiss Racing Academy, who already race at the Pro Continental Level. The next level up from Pro Continental is the World Tour level, where the team will be able to participate in the Grand Tours – Tour de France, Giro Italia (2022 session of this race is now on!) and the Vuelta Espana. These Grand Tours are 21 day races over mountains, cities, villages all over the country. This is probably the ultimate goal that Fabian is setting for the team. The best-ranked Pro Teams earn automatic invitations to the Grand Tours and WorldTour Classics, with other teams securing wild card invitations.  

“I was already with the Swiss Racing Academy as a mentor. From next year we’re going to change the team name and we’ll have a Swiss team back in the pro peloton. Since Team BMC Racing became Team CCC in 2019, there has been no predominant Swiss WorldTour or ProTeam in the peloton, which Cancellara sees a huge loss for the country’s cycling traditions. The new team intends to register at ProTeam level in 2023, with a stated goal “of qualifying for the world’s most famous and prestigious races by the 2024 season.”  

Fabian Cancellara, Tudor Pro Cycling Team owner. Interview with Cycling News.

Side note: Incidentally, Team BMC Racing which went defunct in 2019, was managed by Marc Biver, who is the brother of Jean-Claude Biver. The team was sponspored by TAG Heuer, which was under JC Biver’s leadership then.

The team will be known as the Tudor Pro Cycling Team and were set to race with a new black jersey at the Paris-Roubaix Expoirs (a UCI 1.2U, under 23 category one day race over the tough terrain of Paris to Roubaix crossing multiple cobblestone sections) in May 15 this year. But the race was cancelled by the organisers citing bad road conditions and organisational problems. The race is an important one in the calendar, and have seen winners going on to achieve big wins. Last seen Tom Pidcock (Olympic Champion Tokyo 2020 for Mountain Bike) emerge victorious in 2019, as well as multiple World Time Trial Champion and Olympic Champion Filippo Ganna (2016) in recent years. The next race is now being planned for 2023.

The team will continue to ride BMC bikes, with the development team remaining in 2023 as a structure for scouting and developing the next generation of Swiss riders.

In watch related watch news, we understand the team has been issued an all black Tudor watch, but at the moment, this watch will not be offered for sale to the public.

Release details

TUDOR is going pro! TUDOR and Swiss cycling legend Fabian Cancellara are joining forces to summit the top level of international cycling with a new team. TUDOR’s signature is #Borntodare, it tells the story of the watchmaking vision of the brand’s founder, Hans Wilsdorf, and how that vision was brought to life… daringly. The TUDOR Pro Cycling Team will embody this distinctly daring perspective, combining TUDOR’s no-compromise attitude and history of innovation with Cancellara’s unparalleled experience and vision. At the core of the vision is a human-centric approach to cycling, a sport known for its punishing physical and psychological challenges. TUDOR and Cancellara envision a team motivated by pushing themselves to be better every single day, facing their fears, and daring to go beyond perceived limits. Performance is the ultimate measure of success, but how you get to the finish line matters just as much as when you get there. Guided by Cancellara, The TUDOR Pro Cycling Team will develop a roster of skilled cyclists who embody these ideals, shared values, and team spirit, going well beyond the current field of known competitors.

The sleek black jerseys of The TUDOR Pro Cycling Team will be adorned with simple red TUDOR shields on front and back. The focus will be on the athletes, their pursuit of success, and the road that lies ahead of them. Likewise, the team’s equipment will be based on the expertise of Swiss cycling companies, including the team’s main technical partner, BMC premium bikes. There will be no mistaking who this team is and who they ride for.

As with all good things, it will take time for The TUDOR Pro Cycling Team to reach its full potential of capturing podiums in the world’s greatest cycling races. However, the journey begins with the very first TUDOR Pro Cycling Team taking their saddles for the Paris-Roubaix U23 race on May 15, 2022. The team will continue to compete in the UCI Continental class for the remainder of the 2022 season, setting the tone for what lies ahead.

From there, the team will apply and gear up for the 2023 UCI ProTeam season with the goal of qualifying for the world’s most famous and prestigious races by the 2024 season. The TUDOR Pro Cycling Team will also maintain a development structure for scouting and training the next generation of cyclists.

It’s time to dare. It’s time to lead. It’s time to win. #BornToDare

THE TUDOR PRO CYCLING TEAM / INFO SHEET

Status

Swiss Licence, UCI Continental Level

Athletes

Alex Baudin (France, 22), Nils Brun (Switzerland, 22), Aloïs Charrin (France, 22), Filippo Colombo (Switzerland, 25), Robin Donzé (Switzerland, 20), Ruben Eggenberg (Switzerland, 22), Sean Flynn (Great Britain, 22), Robin Froidevaux (Switzerland, 24), Petr Kelemen (Czech Republic, 22), Jakob Klahre (Switzerland, 21), Lorenzo Rinaldi (Italy, 19), Arnaud Tendon (Switzerland, 20), Loris Trastour (France, 21), Alex Vogel (Switzerland, 23), Yannis Voisard (Switzerland, 24), Fabian Weiss (Switzerland, 20)

Staff

General Manager: Thibault Hofer / Head of Sports: Sylvain Blanquefort / Head Trainer: Guillaume Bonnafond / Head Soigneur: Clément Ceyret / Head Mechanic: Simon Lepoittevin-Dubost / Service Course: Simon Meier / Team Doctor: Andreas Gösele

Governing Entity

Sette Sports, CEO Raphael Meyer

Sponsors & Partners

Main Sponsor: TUDOR Watches – Patronage: Fabian Cancellara
Main Technical Partner: BMC Switzerland / Group sets & components: SRAM / Wheels: DT Swiss /
Tires: Schwalbe / Nutrition: Eurosport Nutrition / Helmets: ABUS / Cycling Apparel: CUORE of Switzerland / Casual Wear: Strellson / Socks: Dirtysox / Glasses: Ride 100% / Saddles & bar tape: Selle Italia / Turbos & computers: Wahoo / Training Software: TrainingPeaks / Bike Care: MucOff / Events: Chasing Cancellara / Medical Care & Follow up: Cross Klinik Basel / IT: ATOS Switzerland / Car: Mercedes-Benz

Race Program, Main Upcoming Events 2022:

15.05 Paris Roubaix Espoirs / 11-18.06 Giro D’Italia Giovanni / 22-26.06 Swiss National Championships