Pidcock breaks into the UCI’s top five riders as Pinarello Q36.5 overtakes six WorldTour teams

The Pinarello Q36.5 team has finished the season climbing seven positions in the UCI ranking and ends 2026 as the twelfth best team in the world, ahead of six WorldTour teams. Tom Pidcock has been decisive in this rise. The Brit has made it into the top 5 cyclists of the year, finishing the season fifth in the individual road ranking, his best position to date, and confirms the growth of a project that will face 2027 with a considerably strengthened roster and the financial backing of South African billionaire Ivan Glasenberg.

Pinarello Q36.5 surpasses six WorldTour teams and secures its presence in the major races of 2027

The Swiss team has finished the season with 10,863 UCI points, compared to the 8,188 it achieved in 2025. This represents a 32.7% improvement, allowing it to move from 19th to 12th place and thus becoming the best ProTeam in the ranking, surpassing WorldTour structures such as Movistar, EF Education-EasyPost, Jayco AlUla, and Lotto-Intermarché.

By being among the top three ProTeams, Pinarello Q36.5 will have the right to compete in all WorldTour calendar races in 2027, including the Tour de France, without relying on an invitation from the organizers.

Behind much of those results is Pidcock, who has accumulated 4,411.5 points, more than 40% of the team's total. The Brit has achieved five victories during the season, but his greatest contributions to the ranking have come in the major races. His second place in Milan-San Remo, where only Tadej Pogačar could surpass him, and the ninth position in the overall Tour de France stand out among his results, to which is added a notable consistency in the spring and autumn classics.

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The fifth place in the individual ranking represents the best classification of his career and places the Brit among the riders who have scored the most points during 2026.

"That Tom has finished fifth in the world, the best ranking of his career, represents another exceptional milestone. He is one of the most talented cyclists and his results reflect both his extraordinary ability and the environment we are building for our riders to perform at their best", noted Douglas Ryder, team director.

Pidcock's MTB World Championship would have contributed another 300 points with the new UCI rules

There is one detail that makes Pidcock's season even more interesting. His victory in the XCO World Championship in Val di Sole has had no impact on the road ranking, although that situation will change starting in 2027.

The UCI has approved a modification of the scoring system that will allow professional teams to incorporate certain results obtained by their riders in MTB, cyclocross, gravel, and track into their ranking.

With the new criteria, Pidcock's XCO world title would have meant an additional 300 points for Pinarello Q36.5. 

The UCI has also established that these results can only be incorporated into the collective ranking when the rider is among the top 20 of their team on the road. Points from other disciplines will also not be added to the individual ranking, so the MTB world title would not have improved Pidcock's fifth place.

For a team that has one of the most prominent multidisciplinary cyclists in the peloton, the modification represents a new way to accumulate points without having to give up competitions off the asphalt.

Ciccone, Schmid, and Hayter arrive to reduce dependence on Pidcock

Pinarello Q36.5 has taken advantage of the transfer market to strengthen practically all areas of its roster. The most notable addition is Giulio Ciccone, who arrives from Lidl-Trek and will provide a second reference for mountain races and grand tours.

Mauro Schmid, stage winner at the 2026 Tour de France, joins along with Ethan Hayter, Andrew August, Davide Ballerini, and sprinter Pavel Bittner, among other signings.

The arrival of riders capable of competing for victories and achieving results on different terrains will allow for a distribution of responsibility that has primarily fallen on Pidcock in recent seasons. The Brit has accumulated more than four times the points of Quinten Hermans, the second-best classified rider on the team.

With Ciccone and Schmid, the formation now has other options to lead certain races and seek results in events where it previously relied on its main star.

Although it will continue to compete with ProTeam license during 2027, the project seems aimed at fighting for a spot in the WorldTour when the licensing process reopens for the cycle that will begin in 2029.

The millionaire backing of Ivan Glasenberg and the possible entry of Campagnolo

A large part of Pinarello Q36.5's ability to incorporate top-level riders comes from the financial backing of Ivan Glasenberg. The South African billionaire, former head of Glencore, one of the largest natural resources and mining companies in the world, has made significant investments in the cycling industry and controls interests in both Pinarello and Q36.5, the two brands that name the team.

His participation provides economic stability to a structure that is progressively increasing its budget and sporting ambitions.

Investments linked to Glasenberg could also have consequences for the team's equipment. As we recently published in Brújula Bike, Campagnolo has confirmed the entry of a new investor related to Pinarello.

The operation has been carried out through SPAC SA, a Swiss company linked to the business environment of the South African billionaire, which has acquired a minority stake in Campagnolo.

This business relationship opens the possibility that Campagnolo could end up becoming a supplier for Pinarello Q36.5, an operation that would restore the historic Italian brand a prominent presence in the professional peloton.

Meanwhile, Pinarello Q36.5 will face 2027 with access to the entire WorldTour calendar, a strengthened roster, and the possibility of leveraging Pidcock's multidisciplinary talent to continue accumulating points with the new UCI regulations.