Tudor road captain tips 2026 breakthrough and predicts success for Hirschi, Storer and the Dutch riders

The 35-year-old Warbasse has been riding for Tudor since 2025 and is now heading into his second season with the Swiss squad. The ever-smiling American spent 2025 alongside several breakout performers, and in 2026 he will add an established leader in Marc Hirschi. “I’ll be riding a lot with Marc in the first phase of the season,” Warbasse announced.

Hirschi started his season with Warbasse on Mallorca, though top results were still missing there. After his surprise move from UAE Team Emirates-XRG to Tudor, he managed only one win — at the Gran Premi València — and the expectation is that 2026 must look different. “I really hope Marc can get back to his best level. Last year was difficult for him,” said Warbasse.

“Marc is without a doubt one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. He does everything at 110 percent for the sport. If you do that and it doesn’t come out, that isn’t easy. He was good, but not as good as in previous years. Marc is still a class rider, a big talent, and I know he’s capable of great things. On a good day he’s among the best one-day riders in the world — it would be cool if he can make that happen again.”

The first weeks of 2026 for Warbasse are mainly built around one-day races, though he will also start the Tour of Oman in February. In the spring, the focus will shift to another Tudor leader: Michael Storer. The Australian won the Tour of the Alps in 2025 and finished third at Il Lombardia, but (after a string of crashes) missed out on a true top result in the Giro d’Italia.

Warbasse and Storer will return to Italy together in 2026. “I’ve known Michael for a long time as a big talent — all the way back from Australia. He always had those qualities, but now he’s also able to show them. I was really impressed with what he showed at Il Lombardia, but I wasn’t surprised. It’s simply the logical result of what he’s shown and what he’s capable of.”

“It was great that he delivered — I was really happy for him,” said the American domestique. (“Het was mooi dat hij heeft geleverd, ik was echt blij voor hem”, zegt de Amerikaanse knecht.) Warbasse will build towards the Giro alongside Storer, and the aim is that things finally fall into place in the first Grand Tour of the year. A top five — or perhaps even a podium — is on the table. “I’ll support Michael in the hunt for a strong GC,” Warbasse said.

Alongside Hirschi and Storer, Tudor will also count on new signing Stefan Küng for the classics in 2026, while Julian Alaphilippe remains a headline name too. From a Dutch perspective, the trio of Maikel Zijlaard, Rick Pluimers and Arvid De Kleijn stays on board. Zijlaard is set to get his own sprint train, while Pluimers — after an excellent 2025 — will increasingly ride for his own chances

“Rick is a very, very good rider and above all a great guy,” Warbasse said warmly. (“Rick is een heel, heel goede renner en bovenal een fijne gast”, zegt Warbasse lovend.) “I rode a lot with him last year — I was there when he won the Muscat Classic, and we did Tirreno and the Giro d’Italia together. He’s someone who’s really coming through for the next few years, especially in the classics. He’s very all-round, eager to learn, and dedicated.

Zijlaard also received praise from his road captain. “He’s really funny, and together with Rick he’s a good combination. I know them well now and I think we’ll already see some nice things from them this year. Maikel earned his place as a sprinter because he truly took his chances when they came. That’s elite sport: when the opportunity is there, you have to be ready — even if that chance comes from someone else’s setback.”

All those names, all that talent — Warbasse sees up close how Tudor continues to build. “From the start of this team, everyone could see they really wanted to create something good. They were professional right away, they had a good set-up, and even as an outsider you could immediately see a strong organisation. When I became part of it, I quickly felt this is a team destined to be among the best five teams in the world.”

“Tudor has big goals and the right people in the organisation to grow and take the steps they want to take. They’re signing the right riders, so we’ll only keep seeing that growth continue,” he added. “I also hope to be valuable for the team over the next two seasons as a helper, and to take my own chance when it presents itself. I want to reach my best level.”

Warbasse believes he can adapt just fine to a rapidly evolving sport. “I think I’ve always been very professional and at the front when it comes to training and nutrition. Nothing shocks me when it comes to progress in the sport — as an athlete you just adapt. You keep developing yourself, even now the sport continues to grow quickly. I don’t think it’s very difficult to keep up, as long as you’re open to change and new things.”

Finally, a prediction: who will be Tudor’s surprise in 2026? “Then I’ll go for Mathys Rondel, someone who has already shown a few flashes of class. Over the coming years he’ll take some big results.”

Bram van der Ploeg ( X: @BvdPloegg | email : [email protected])