Tom Pidcock will kick off his own season and kick-start that of his team on Friday as he headlines a seven-man Pinarello-Q36.5 squad at the two-day Vuelta a Murcia.
The British rider finished on the podium at last year’s Vuelta a España in a breakthrough season for himself and his team. As such, expectations for both parties are much higher for the 2026 campaign, with Pidcock set to lead a GC tilt at the team’s debut Tour de France.
The second-division Pro Team have been racing on several fronts since January, but they themselves see Pidcock’s entrance into the fray as the true pull-cord to ignite their season.
“Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team arrives in Murcia ready to race on the front foot – with Tom Pidcock’s debut setting the spark for the season ahead,” reads a press release from the team ahead of Murcia.
“His return to competition provides a major boost to the squad’s ambitions and signals the beginning of a new chapter in what promises to be an intense and attacking campaign.”
Pinarello Q36.5 have yet to win a race in 2026, but hopes Pidcock’s arrival will change that. The punchy parcours plays into the 26-year-old’s hands, with the Alto Virgen del Castillo (1.3km at 7.3%) an obvious launchpad 3.5km from the finish line on stage 1, followed by the Alto Cresta del Gallo (4.4km at 6.6%) 20km from home on a final day that starts with an early category 1 climb.
After his storming start to 2025 – his first season at Q36.5 following his early departure from Ineos Grenadiers – it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pidcock make an immediate impact once again.
Victory at a mid-level two-day event, which features only six WorldTour teams, would hardly be the biggest achievement of his career, but a GC title is never to be sniffed…
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