Tour de France magazine 2026 | Page 24

MEN | PINARELLO Q36.5 PRO CYCLING TEAM

BUILT TO

EVOLVE

The meteoric rise of the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, launched in 2023 by South African Douglas Ryder, is one of the most remarkable stories in modern cycling. The Swiss-registered squad has rocketed from a ProTeam to qualifying for cycling’ s most elite races in just three short years. This July, it makes its highly anticipated Tour de France debut.
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P cycling does not wait for anyone anymore. The modern peloton moves at a relentless speed – not only on the road, but behind the scenes. Performance structures evolve constantly. Equipment advances faster than ever. Margins shrink. Expectations rise. Teams unable to adapt simply disappear.

Over the past three years, few organisations in
world cycling have evolved more aggressively than the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.
In 2026, the team will make its Tour de France debut – a milestone that confirms the rapid rise of one of cycling’ s most ambitious modern projects. But this moment is not the result of a single season or one major signing. It is the product of a complete organisational transformation.
The team that lines up
at the Grand Départ this summer is fundamentally different from the structure that first entered the sport only a few years ago. Different ambitions. Different scale. Different expectations. And above all, a completely different competitive environment.
“ We understood very quickly that modern cycling demands constant evolution” says team principal Douglas Ryder.“ You cannot stand still in this sport anymore. Every year
the level becomes higher, more professional and more performance-driven.”
That understanding shaped the foundation of the team’ s rebuild.
BRAND SYNERGY FROM THE GET-GO When the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team project launched in 2023, the objective was not simply to create another professional cycling team. The ambition was far bigger: to build a modern racing organisation
24 | TOUR DE FRANCE 2026