Tudor’s Pro Cycling Push at the Quebec Grand Prix
Tudor’s leap into cycling.
Courtesy of Tudor Pro Cycling
For North American cycling fans, following the sport—let alone seeing it live—can be a challenge. Once a year, though, the UCI’s premier men’s road tour brings world-class racing across the Atlantic with stops in Quebec City and Montreal. For a weekend in September, fans can watch the peloton tackle demanding circuits without the crush of Europe’s grand-tour crowds.
Last week, against the backdrop of Quebec City’s famed Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and the sweeping Plains of Abraham, spectators lined the streets, including the Côte de la Montagne, the steep, curving climb that marks the final push to the race’s finish line. Since its launch in 2010, the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec has offered riders a final tune-up before the UCI Road World Championships. Its hilly laps and deep competitive fields have made it one of the sport’s best one-day races, attracting some of cycling’s biggest and most accomplished riders over the years.
Courtesy of Tudor Pro Cycling
Courtesy of Tudor Pro Cycling
This season, a newer name stood out in the paddock: Tudor. In 2022, Swiss legend Fabian Cancellara partnered with the watchmaker to elevate an emerging squad into the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. The project was born to nurture talent and reflect Tudor’s own values of precision, endurance, and boldness. The project took another leap forward this year by signing two-time world champion Julian Alaphilippe, who now lines up alongside veteran Larry Warbasse and a rising generation of riders, underscoring the brand’s long-term commitment to the sport.
“Cycling and watchmaking share so many parallels,” Alaphilippe said. “Precision, attention to detail—and the pride of wearing a jersey that represents a brand built on those same values.”
Warbasse agreed drawing a line between the craft behind a luxury watch and the discipline of a rider. “There are so many moving pieces in both,” he said. “You have to get every detail right—training, fuelling, recovery—for the final product to be excellent. It’s the same mindset that produces a great watch.”
That link between timekeeping and road racing inspired Tudor’s latest release: the Pelagos FXD Chrono Cycling Edition. Its carbon-composite case and titanium elements keep weight low but strength high—essential for a watch built to endure punishing miles, sudden weather changes, flying mud, and the chaos of a sprint finish. Swiss rider Fabian Weiss joked that for him, its primary function while riding is “looking cool,” but the watch is engineered to perform with the chronograph’s spiral tachymeter calibrated for the speeds cyclists typically sustain, allowing riders to read their pace at a glance—with understated style fit for wearing on and off the bike.
Photo by Julien Payette-Tessier
For professional cycliists, bodies and minds are pushed to the limit on every climb and descent, and their gear must meet those demands. Tudor’s Cycling Edition blends toughness and utility with a clean, modern aesthetic—a tool designed for athletes but stylish enough for the podium or the street.
As the shadows grew longer and crowds swelled near the finish line, the race delivered a statement finish: Tudor’s own Julian Alaphilippe surged on the final ascent to claim victory. For the team, it was a big win but also proof that this young project is here to push the more established teams. It also underscored why Tudor’s leap into cycling is more than just a branding exercise: precision, daring, and craft can propel a team to the top of the podium.
