Aussie Michael Storer might be a dark horse for the Tour de France polka-dot jersey: 'Pretty big gap to close'

The 2026 Tour de France team presentations and press conferences are done, so we eagerly await the start of the race on Saturday. By now we know which teams virtually all the riders are heading to Barcelona with. Tudor Pro Cycling, for example, has made it clear that they’re going all out for stage wins with some well-known names. But one name, Australian climber Michael Storer, might just (very cautiously) be driven by an extra ambition for the polka-dot jersey.

"Our only goal: stage wins." That's what team manager Addy Engels said during the presentation of the eight-man squad. To that end, the team opted for a very offensive lineup, in addition to Dutch rider Arvid de Kleijn for the sprints. Julian Alaphilippe, Rick Pluimers, Marc Hirschi, Matteo Trentin, Yannis Voisard, and Marco Haller are the riders who, alongside Storer, are expected to secure stage victories.

Is a spot in the general classification is out of the question for the Australian climber? “The two men I see battling for the yellow jersey, Jonas (Vingegaard, ed.) and Tadej (Pogacar, ed.), have a pretty big gap to close, and it doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller,” Storer said in an interview with the Tour Down Under organisers.

Because, as Storer explains: “I take a step forward, and they seem to take a step forward too, so it seems to be a fairly constant factor that that gap remains—that’s just the way it is.” And the rest? “For the other general classification favorites, it depends,” he seems to realise as well, acknowledging that the main focus is on third place.

Because, as the Tudor rider knows: “At the Giro, I wasn’t far from third place, and in the end, the time gap wasn’t huge, so when I look at the others, I’m definitely in the mix, and it’s just small differences that could propel me to a great result in the general classification or a top-10 finish.”

However, that won’t happen this year. “Maybe I’ll come back in the future and give it a try (in the Tour de France general classification, ed.), perhaps in a year when I’m not riding the Giro, so I can prepare optimally for this race.” Storer knows full well that the Giro-Tour combination is very demanding.

Still, the Australian is really eager to get started. “It’s the Tour de France, the biggest cycling race in the world, so I’m really looking forward to it. It’s a dream to perform well in this race, so I’m glad to be here, even though it’s tough to ride the Giro first and then the Tour.”

Storer sees plenty of opportunities at the 2026 Tour de France. “The hilly and mountain stages suit me best. I don’t join breakaways or attacks on the flat stages. I just don’t have the power for flat sections like some of the others do to stand a chance there, but I do look for opportunities on other days.”

As an outstanding climber, is he also keeping an eye on the polka-dot jersey? “The mountains jersey is tricky, because it depends on how often the peloton goes for the win at a mountain summit, which can happen quite often. That’s where points are earned, and it’s hard to rack up enough points,” Storer explains.

But... “I’d love to win it, but at the same time, it’s a big challenge. Maybe I should focus entirely on that instead of sacrificing a stage win, because you have to grab every point you can get.” To be continued!