Stefan Küng is about to leave FDJ – the professional cyclist could move to the Swiss team Tudor

Hardly any other professional cyclist is as consistent as Stefan Küng. He achieves top placings in time trials and cobblestone classics with impressive reliability; weak days are rare for him. And yet, even at 31, he's still waiting for that truly great triumph—a gold medal at the World Championships or a victory at a monument.

Accepting fate would be far from the 31-year-old's mind: Küng's ambition has only grown after dozens of narrow defeats. He recently demonstrated that he will leave no stone unturned to force his luck with an unusual change of coach: Instead of the experienced Frenchman Julien Pinot, he is now coached by Maxime Latourte, a former mountain biker. He is supposed to make Küng, who sometimes struggles with increased speed and sprints, more explosive.

In a conversation during the Tour de Romandie, the professional cyclist raved about working with his new coach. Latourte managed to lure him out of his comfort zone, said Küng. Normally, you prefer to train what you do best—in his case, time trials. Instead, getting the most out of yourself with extremely short interval workouts was challenging. "I was very respectful of the new training," he said. "But then you do it two or three times a week, and your body gets used to it."

At the Classique Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, one of the most important one-day races in cycling-mad Belgium, Küng nearly pulled off a coup in February. With eight kilometers to go, he attacked solo. No one was able to counterattack – perhaps it helped Küng at that moment that he had improved his punch. "Physically, I was at a top level," he said. At the last moment, the leading group caught up with him. And so, once again, nothing worth counting resulted.

Küng remains a seeker. He has called for change within his Equipe FDJ (FDJ team), and he makes no secret of the fact that innovations sometimes don't happen fast enough for him. "In a team that has existed for so long, that doesn't happen overnight," he said regretfully. The team now has a new general director, Thierry Cornec. But Marc Madiot, an eccentric boss who embodies more traditional cycling, remains on board in an important position.

Like his manager Olivier Senn, Küng has come to the conclusion that FDJ isn't trying to maximize its performance in all areas. Therefore, after seven years, the signs point to his departure – even though Küng generally feels comfortable with the French team. Senn has held numerous discussions with representatives from other teams over the course of the spring. "There's a lot of interest," he said.

Officially, transfers in cycling can only be decided and communicated on August 1st, but of course, no one can be prevented from reaching a handshake agreement beforehand. This week, well-connected British journalist Daniel Benson reported that it was "99 percent certain" that Küng would move to the Swiss team Tudor . He will sign a contract there for at least two years, starting with the 2026 season. Several Belgian media outlets confirmed the report.

Signing Küng would fit perfectly with Tudor's strategy of relying heavily on local riders to enthuse the local crowd. There's certainly no shortage of financial resources: For the current season, the team invested considerable effort in signing Marc Hirschi , who also had several options, as well as another compatriot, Küng's former assistant, Fabian Lienhard. Two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe of France also joined Team Tudor.

Those responsible are committed to the goal of gradually climbing the cycling hierarchy and emphasize the long-term perspective of the main sponsor. Tudor CEO Raphael Meyer declined to comment on Küng this week when contacted.

Especially at the beginning of his career, the 31-year-old from Thurgau was often compared to Fabian Cancellara. Cancellara won the time trial world championship title four times and the Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders three times each. Cancellara was a master at forcing his luck. Küng would have an even closer connection to the man who retired when his own career took off: Cancellara is the owner of Team Tudor. If the two men can combine their ambitions productively, a lot seems possible.