Michael Storer perhaps flew under the radar as a stage race and Grand Tour rider in 2025, but the quietly-spoken Australian won a stage at Paris-Nice, the GC at the Tour of the Alps, was tenth in a crash-striken Giro d'Italia, twice went close to a stage victory in the Tour de France and then ended the 2025 season with third at Il Lombardia.
Storer scored 2,083 points during the last year, more than any other rider at Tudor, helping the Swiss team secure automatic invitations to all the 2026 WorldTour races.
He is 28 and perhaps near his peak, after turning professional at just 20 with Team Sunweb. He then had a spell at Groupama-FDJ before becoming one of Tudor's first significant signings in 2024 alongside Matteo Trentin.
"I can't see why there isn't more to come," Storer said quietly of 2026, his inner ambitions louder than his voice.
"My main goal is to keep progressing as a cyclist and try to work on all the aspects of my performance. If I make those improvements, I'll already be happy, regardless of what the results sheets say. At the same time, it'd be great to win a big race."
Tudor wisely extended Storer's contract during the winter until 2028, and he will lead the team in this year's Giro and then probably again target stages at the Tour de France.
"It's a team where I feel like I really belong," he said of the Swiss ProTeam owned and managed by Fabian Cancellara.
"I get along really well with everyone. Their ideology of how things should be done matches mine, so it's really like a natural fit.
"The team and I have developed together. Now I know I can get results, and the team has given me the opportunities, so then it kind of spirals in that direction. They have given me more trust, and that kind of solidifies my role. That's good for me because it helps me progress further in the right direction."
Storer is not a born leader, but he appears to understand how to lead, and Tudor appears to know how to build a team around him.
"I don't think anyone is a born leader, but you can learn how to be a leader. You just have to learn to do it in your own style," Storer suggested.
"I think everyone has their own way of being a leader. The stereotypical leaders sort of impose themselves on the group, but I think being a leader is a lot more than that. My style is a bit different.
"I like to have a good relationship with all my teammates and try to understand all of them, so they know what I want. Then we can work together to get the results."
Challenging Jonas Vingegaard and Isaac del Toro at the Giro d'Italia
While some of his Tudor teammates have been impressive in the early-season races, Storer has been training for his spring stage race campaign that begins at the UAE Tour in mid-February, and is followed by Tirreno-Adriatico in March.
He will then go to altitude before returning to the Tour of the Alps as the defending champion and then the Giro d'Italia. If the Corsa Rosa goes well and Storer is healthy, he is expected to again ride the Tour too.
Storer could be a difficult rival for Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) at the UAE Tour, especially with the addition of a second and steeper mountain finish to Jebel Mobrah after 15km of climbing.
Storer will also race against del Toro and Vingegaard in Italy in May. He is hoping for far more than tenth overall and could be a podium contender this year.
"I expected to do more than a top ten, but I crashed four times. They weren't crashes that took me out of the race, but they had an impact," he explained.
"If I'd had a better run, it could have been a different result. We'll find out what that can be in May."
Taking on Vingegaard, del Toro, and their powerful teams is not a concern for Storer. "I really just focus on my own thing. I really don't care who turns up at the Giro," he said.
"I know it's gonna be a strong field, but it's irrelevant for me because I can only control what I do. OK, maybe it's better if none of them turn up, but I think that's unlikely.
"The Giro is a race that really motivates me, that I get excited about. It's the focal point of my 2026 season.
"I've got some unfinished business at the Giro. It gives me the motivation to push a little more in training. I really want to go there and do the best I can."
