'You must keep believing' - Küng on chasing Classics in Pogacar-Van der Poel era

The Swiss rider has joined Tudor Pro Cycling after seven seasons at Groupama-FDJ, and the cobbled Classics will again be his focus in the early part of the season. 

“When Pogačar and Van der Poel especially are there, then it’s very, very difficult,” Küng told reporters at the Tudor media day in Moraira, Spain on Wednesday.

“These races are already difficult to win, but for sure, the odds are that they will be better than you nine times out of ten. But I only focus on the idea that one day it can happen. You never know what is happening in the Classics, how the race constellation is, and I think we have a strong team for the Classics this year, too. If you have several cards to play in the final, then, maybe… You never know. 

“That’s also what makes these races so special. For sure, you have the favourites on paper, but then depending on the race situation, you can still make it work. And I know what it takes to be good in these races, and you just never have to give up and always keep believing. And then once you're up there fighting, it’s possible.”

Küng came close to victory at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad last year only to be caught by the peloton beneath the flamme rouge, and he has been consistently in the mix at E3 Harelbeke, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix over the years.

“I’ve been on the podium on in few of them, I’ve been top five in almost every one of them,” Küng said. “When you’re always there or thereabouts, then you only need that one shot and it can change your career – or at least the palmarès of your career. 

“When you look at Mathieu and Tadej, some people think the race is lost at the start, but there is always a chance. And even though if it’s only a little one, you’ve always got to keep believing and race with all you’ve got. If the opportunity opens, then you need to be ready to take it.”

Küng will start his season by riding the team time trial at the Challenge Mallorca in late January before heading to Tenerife for an altitude camp. He will then race Opening Weekend and Tirreno-Adriatico before the block of cobbled Classics from E3 Harelbeke to Paris-Roubaix.

In the summer, meanwhile, Küng is set to ride the Tour de France, where Tudor will look to make an impact in the team time trial on the opening day in Barcelona.

The 32-year-old insisted that he hadn’t signed for Tudor simply because it is a Swiss team, but he confessed that he had needed a change in environment after his long stint at Groupama-FDJ.

“I felt like in order to improve, I need a change of scenery,” Küng said. “By the end of 2024, I knew it was going to be my last season in Groupama-FDJ. But that was not a decision against the team – it was a decision for a change, for a new challenge for myself. I believe once you have worked with people for many, many years, sometimes it’s also new input that can make you better.”