The full roster of Tudor Pro Cycling has still to be announced and promotion to the ProTeam level has yet to be confirmed, but news of the addition of Ricardo Scheidecker to the staff in early October felt like a statement of intent from Fabian Cancellara's team.
Scheidecker had served as the technical and development director at QuickStep since 2017, having previously worked at Tinkoff, Leopard-Trek and the UCI. While Patrick Lefevere remained QuickStep's patron and figurehead, Scheidecker was credited by those in the know as a key architect of the team's recent success, particularly the project that helped Remco Evenepoel to Vuelta a España victory.
Cancellara worked with Scheidecker during his time at Leopard-Trek, but prising the Portuguese away from Lefevere and QuickStep was clearly something of a coup for what is, at least until January 1, still a Continental team. It showed that the Tudor project is a serious one, even if Cancellara bristled jokingly at the idea that it could be anything else.
"I don't do unserious stuff, otherwise I stay home, I go on the beach and have a good time with my family. If I do things, I want to do them properly and right," Cancellara told Cyclingnews. "And I think the partner we have is serious and proper."
After the team began as the Swiss Racing Academy in 2019, Cancellara's first involvement with the team was in the informal role of 'mentor,' but in April of this year – on the eve of the Tour de Romandie – his position changed to that of owner, with Tudor watches coming on board as a sponsor. The stated ambition was to register as a ProTeam in 2023 and earn invitations to cycling's biggest races by 2024.
"Our first ambition is to have a good structure," Cancellara said. "The important thing is to create this structure, and the foundation is the people we have. The riders will come and go, unfortunately, that's the reality, but we are on the normal way to grow. How far we can go, we will see. But we're ready to become a ProTeam next year, and the next steps are starting. I'm super excited.
"We might have some surprises with people who are coming or joining the staff, but I believe that the mathematics are still basic. It's about creating the foundations and then working on the steps. Success will not come with money. Cycling has certain rules, which are patience and time."
It seems likely that the team will continue to have a youthful age profile in its first season as a ProTeam, even if the composition of the 2023 roster is still unclear. The team already features the surprise Swiss champion Robin Froidevaux, who only made the transition from track to road after the Tokyo Olympics. The 24-year-old endured a number of injury setbacks on either side of that Swiss title, but he finished his campaign with a fine victory at Serenissima Gravel.
Young Dutch talent Maikel Zijlaard is among the confirmed signings for next year, while Tudor have also been linked with Alexander Kamp (Trek-Segafredo) and Matthew Holmes (Lotto Soudal). Cyclingnews also understands that at least one Swiss rider currently in the WorldTour will race for Tudor in 2023.
"For me, it's more important to talk about the team than about who is going to come in," Cancellara said. The squad's Swiss identity, with a watchmaker as title sponsor and BMC as bike supplier, is a key component, while the Swiss Racing Academy will continue to operate as a development squad at the Continental level even after Tudor make the jump to ProTeam status.
"We are Swiss, and we want to have the Swiss mentality, which doesn't mean that we only have money," Cancellara said. "No, we don't have money to throw around. But when the Swiss do organisation, I think they do it right. And that's also what we want to have."
In 2023, if all goes to plan, Tudor will become the first professional Swiss team since BMC's demise – together, perhaps, with Doug Ryder's new Q36.5 project – and providing a pathway for Swiss talent to the top level remains a part of its mission statement.
"Stefan Bissegger was in this team once, and Mauro Schmid also came up through the team. Will Swiss riders want to join us, or will they want to go outside? Hopefully, once they see what we can do, we won't need to present ourselves anymore," said Cancellara, who hopes his team can nurture young riders without burning them out.
"I'm fine with the numbers and the data, but you can't lose the fun out of it. I know that I could not ride anymore like I did when I stopped in 2016. Today there's really more data, but I believe that you still need a mix.
"We always remember that we're dealing with athletes and with humans. I've said already I don't want ten o'clock conference calls. No. Sorry, it doesn't work: everyone has a life. We need to find a balance."
Cancellara highlighted, however, that the day-to-day operations were in the hands of Raphael Meyer and Thibault Hofer, and he acknowledged the importance of Scheidecker's arrival. "For sure, a guy like Ricardo is going to add huge value, it's a big support," he said.
But Cancellara, as the team's owner and figurehead, is responsible for setting the tone, while Tudor would hardly have come on board if the team didn't have the imprimatur of one of Switzerland's most marketable stars.
"I'm not the director, I'm not the soigneur, I'm not the chief master. I'm not Lefevere, Bjarne Riis or Jonathan Vaughters," Cancellara said. "I'm an addition, but I have good people around me. So when we go and present our team, it's not just me. It's this 'us' and this 'we,' not this 'I.'"
