Tom Pidcock to keep riding Pinarello (sort of)

Tom Pidcock made headlines last week after leaving Ineos – Grenadiers to join the Swiss squad Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team—but Pinarello has confirmed he’ll remain part of their family.

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team uses Scott bikes, meaning Pidcock will be contracted to ride those on the road. However, the Italian brand says the Brit will still use their bikes for off-road events.

King of the dirt

Pidcock has built an impressive off-road résumé with Pinarello over the past four years, winning world and Olympic titles in XCO mountain biking on the Dogma XC. “Designed specifically for him and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot in both hardtail and softtail versions, the Dogma XC took shape in just six months and became a key part of their success,” Fausto Pinarello said.

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At 25, Pidcock also won the 2022 UCI ‘cross worlds aboard the Crossista F, a bike he’ll continue to race on. He’ll also have the Grevil F available for gravel events if he decides to compete.

MTB, XC and maybe gravel

“We’re thrilled to confirm Tom will continue racing on our cyclocross, XCO mountain bike, and gravel bikes. He is an amazing rider with phenomenal technical skills, and it’s been a pleasure working with him on the Crossista and Dogma XC,” Pinarello said. “Tom is a rider who knows what he wants. His unwavering pursuit of excellence has challenged us a lot. And enabled us to produce three incredible frames which he’s ridden to success on the grandest stages in the sport. We are delighted to keep this successful collaboration alive.”

Pidcock called working with Pinarello both a privilege and an enjoyable experience. “So far, we have developed three CX and XC MTB frames together. And all of them exceeded expectations from the moment I sat on them,” he said.

The departure from Ineos

Earlier speculation about Pidcock leaving Ineos Grenadiers began after he revealed on Instagram that he was unexpectedly dropped from the Il Lombardia roster. “Just as things were on the up after a turbulent end to the year, I am deselected for Lombardia tomorrow. I am in great shape and was really looking forward to it!” he wrote. The Olympic and world champion’s cryptic post fuelled talk of a potential team change for 2025.

Sure enough, the move was confirmed on Dec. 4, with Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team announcing his signing the following day.