As a mentor at Tudor, Matteo Trentin also wants to score himself: “Transform good data into results”

Matteo Trentin will play a role as a mentor at the ambitious Tudor in 2024, but the experienced Italian also wants to score himself on behalf of the Swiss team after leaving UAE Emirates. “I think I can have more freedom at Tudor and then I want to convert my good data into results,” he tells CyclingFlits.

Last year, Tudor, with Fabian Cancellara as the big man behind the team, made its debut as a ProTeam in the peloton. In the second year, the team expands its selection with, in addition to Trentin, Alberto Dainese, Marco Brenner, Marius Mayrhofer (Team dsm-firmenich), Michael Storer (Groupama-FDJ) and Alexander Krieger (Alpecin-Deceuninck). “Tudor is a young team that wants to grow. They want to do that quickly, but above all in a good way,” says Trentin.

“The fact that I can be part of a team with that ambition feels very good and beautiful. I think I can have more freedom at Tudor and then I want to convert my good data into results. Because my best friends ride in training, which is worthless,” he laughs. “To grow you also need experienced riders who know what to do and when to do it. The staff is also well prepared, but you also need someone in the race who has that overview.”

Arvid de Kleijn and Alberto Dainese
As road captain, Trentin will often race together with fellow countryman Dainese or that other sprinter, the Dutchman Arvid de Kleijn. “Arvid has really taken a step,” says Trentin. “He was already a good sprinter, but he has shown that he has potential and I think he can grow even further.” Last year, De Kleijn won Milan-Turin and a stage in the Deutschland Tour.

“With him and Dainese we have two sprinters who can take their chances in stage races or one-day races. I also think that Alberto can also make the step in more difficult competitions.”

‘Numbers mean nothing if you don’t drive results’
The now 34-year-old Trentin closed the door behind him at UAE Emirates on January 1, for which he played for three seasons. “Last year was very bad for me, looking at my results. Even though my preparation was good, and I think I may have had my best year in terms of data, those numbers still mean nothing if you don’t get good results.”

“I noticed that I can be really competitive. Especially in the Tour de France, because when I got my own chance, I was there,” Trentin refers to his eighth and ninth place in the final week of the Tour. What was the reason for his further disappointing year? “I was sick very often, or I fell. In current cycling it is difficult to get back to standard. Look at Zdenek Stybar, he had the same thing. When you just come back and everyone is in top form, you get a kick out of it.”

“Fortunately, I noticed that I can still participate in the finals, because that is what I prefer to do in the coming years,” he says. That is why the 2018 European champion also signed with Tudor for three years, until the end of 2026.

Tudor 2024 selection