With Swiss precision: Stefan Küng recreated Vuelta’s Monaco time trial... on a military base!

Stefan Küng will start the Vuelta a España in Monaco, and the fact he is there at all is remarkable. The Tudor rider broke his femur at the end of February, one of the most serious injuries a professional cyclist can suffer. That he can line up five months later — with a time trial victory at the Tour of Poland already under his belt — as one of the contenders for the first red jersey is therefore quite an achievement. Küng’s comeback culminated in an emotional victory against the clock in Poland earlier this month.

Küng moved from Groupama-FDJ to Tudor over the winter, where he was expected to become one of the team’s key riders for the spring Classics. But disaster struck at the first major appointment of the year, Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. “I lost my balance on a cobbled section and fell really badly on my leg. I immediately felt that I couldn’t put any weight on it.”

The Swiss rider had fractured his femur. “I immediately knew it wasn’t good. I spoke to several riders who had experienced the same thing, and I was told more than once that it took two years before they were completely recovered. I’m 32, so at times you start wondering whether it might be over...” Küng said. “I found that difficult to accept because I don’t have another ten years.” Tudor initially expected him to need around three months before returning to full training.

With almost military discipline, Küng threw himself into his rehabilitation. “During some of the difficult moments in my recovery, I honestly doubted whether I would ever make it back to the highest level.” Whenever someone asked him how things were going, though, Küng tried to keep his situation in perspective: “I always said: it’s going great, if I compare it with the day I had surgery.”

By the summer, Küng was able to head to altitude training in Tignes and could remarkably start thinking about racing — and even winning — again. That turned out to be anything but unrealistic, as he immediately delivered in the final time trial of the Tour of Poland. Küng was overcome with emotion afterwards. “To come back from really being at the bottom and win again is unbelievable,” he said after completing one of the most impressive comebacks of his career. His victory also helped make it a perfect day for Tudor, with Marco Brenner securing the overall title.

Now comes the Vuelta a España, where Küng claimed his first Grand Tour stage victory in Madrid in 2024. And, conveniently enough for the Swiss time trial specialist, this year’s race begins with another individual time trial. “It’s a special time trial, with a lot of corners and changes of rhythm. That makes it more open and gives more types of riders a chance to win. I’m thinking of Pedersen, Van Aert, Tarling, myself, Pogacar... The list is long,” Küng said at his press conference ahead of the race. The 9.4-kilometer Monaco course contains no fewer than 25 corners, giving technical ability and acceleration an unusually important role.

The powerful Swiss rider made use of his local surroundings to prepare as specifically as possible for the twisting Monaco course. “I live close to a military base, where I’ve been able to train well on all the turning and changes of direction,” he explained, referring to the Waffenplatz in Frauenfeld, one of the Swiss Armed Forces’ major training facilities and an important logistics centre. For a rider more commonly associated with long, high-speed efforts against the clock, it offered Küng the chance to replicate the repeated braking, cornering and acceleration that will be required in Monaco.

Seventeen years ago, the Tour de France also started in Monaco, with current Tudor team owner Fabian Cancellara taking the yellow jersey there. Cancellara is back in Monaco this time to support Küng and his Tudor teammates. “I’m close to my best form and I hope to win at least one stage at this Vuelta,” Küng said. He will have freedom to chase his own opportunities throughout the rest of the race before immediately turning his attention towards the World Championships in Montreal. Tudor enter their first Vuelta with stage victories as one of their main objectives, and Küng is one of the team’s biggest weapons.