More explosiveness, fewer kilometres and a mental coach: Marc Hirschi is doing everything differently in 2026

After the success of 2024 and his transfer to Tudor, 2025 became a disappointing season for the Swiss puncher. Still, Hirschi is not dwelling on it; he sees it as an important learning year. “As a team, we’ve grown closer,” he said to Bici.PRO. “I started with a win, like the year before, and that was nice, but honestly I had hoped it would go differently.” “I can’t be satisfied, but it gives me even more energy for the new season,” Hirschi added.

The Swiss rider is also trying not to judge everything purely by results. “It was an adaptation year. I feel very comfortable in the team, I clicked straight away, and there were a lot of positive moments — like the whole Tour de France experience.” Even so, Hirschi knows performance is what ultimately matters. “My career is also about numbers, results and wins, and I hope those will come in larger amounts in 2026.”

That isn’t quite reflected in his early season outcomes in Mallorca. Hirschi did not finish his season opener at the Trofeo Calvià, and later on the Spanish island he could do no better than 16th and 17th. Hirschi explains, however, that he deliberately logged fewer kilometres over the winter. “Before the start of the season, I reduced the number of kilometres a bit to be fresher,” he said.

Hirschi’s programme for this season has been adjusted slightly. The Tudor puncher wants to race fewer days and spend more time training his explosiveness. Whether that new approach pays off should become clear at his first major goal of 2026: the Ardennes Classics.

After the Ardennes block, Hirschi plans to retreat to the mountains to build towards the Giro d’Italia. “I’d like to win a stage in a grand tour again,” he explained. The Swiss rider is also pleased with what he has seen of the Italian route. “I’ve seen the course and it looks really nice, with a lot of opportunities to make progress.”

In autumn, Hirschi also sees a big opportunity at the UCI Road World Championships in Canada. “I’ve been there before, I know the roads in Montreal well, I know the course suits me, and I think it’s a great chance,” he said.

Hirschi’s move to ProTeam Tudor was a striking one — especially because it came straight after the most successful season of his career. Yet the Swissman continues to express confidence in the ambitious project in his home country. “I’m convinced Tudor has a lot of winning riders too,” Hirschi said. “I think we’re growing quickly as a team now and we have a good chance to win — to create space — even in a cycling world full of champions.”

Where everything at UAE revolved around Tadej Pogačar, Hirschi is one of the leaders at Tudor. But he does not feel that as pressure — quite the opposite. “I like being a leader and having a lot of freedom, so it’s nice to have the team’s trust. It’s given me a lot of motivation; I don’t see it as pressure.”

Hirschi also spoke openly about working with a mental coach during his move. “I can’t deny it has helped me a lot,” he said. “I’ve had many disappointments in my career, and sometimes it wasn’t easy. You’re always trying to improve, and when you don’t get the results you expected, it feels like you worked for nothing.”