Q36.5 presents its new team Women's Off Road Racing Expedition: four specialists to compete in the international gravel scene in 2026

Q36.5 has announced its new women's gravel competition project for the 2026 season under the name Women's Off Road Racing Expedition. The initiative will bring together four international cyclists expected to participate in some of the most demanding events on the calendar, including The Traka and Unbound Gravel.

Q36.5 turns women's gravel into its new high-performance laboratory

From the cycling clothing brand Q36.5, they assure that the project is not intended as a closed structure for use, but as a competitive and technical platform with which the Italian brand seeks to strengthen its positioning in high-level women's gravel.

The American cyclist Alexis Skarda will be the most experienced rider in the group and will serve as the team coordinator. A regular on the North American gravel circuit, she will face her debut in Traka in 2026 with the experience gained from events like Leadville 100 and Unbound. Among her recent results are a fourth place in the 2025 Life Time Grand Prix and two fourths in the 2025 Big Sugar Gravel and the 2024 USAC Gravel Nationals.

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From the United Kingdom comes Maddy Nutt, winner of the UCI Gravel Series Safari Gravel 2024 and third in the 2024 Migration Gravel Race. Her planning for 2026 highlights long-distance goals such as Traka 560 and Unbound XL.

The Australian with Spanish ties Cassia Boglio represents the youngest profile of the team. She combines experience in road and gravel, with a third place in the 2025 Australian National Road Championship and a second position in the 2025 UCI Gravel Series SEVEN.

Completing the quartet is the Dutch Maaike Coljé, residing in Germany, who after five seasons competing on the road will now focus her calendar exclusively on gravel, with her sights set on reference international events like Unbound.

Beyond the calendar, for Q36.5, the Women's Off Road Racing Expedition is born with the goal of establishing a direct collaboration between the cyclists and the research and development department. The brand aims to use race experience as a tool to refine its specific technical solutions for women's gravel.

The continuous dialogue with the riders will allow the evolution of the so-called "female fit patterns," that is, the design architecture that determines how the garment adapts to the body in a state of exertion. In a discipline marked by long distances, variable rhythms, and changing conditions, aspects such as fit stability, thermal management, and aerodynamic efficiency at medium speeds become especially important.

The four cyclists will compete with technologies similar to those used by the professional road team sponsored by the brand. The equipment includes the Dottore Pro and Dottore Clima suits, developed to offer a balance between aerodynamics and thermal regulation in different scenarios.

The set is completed with the Dottore Pro Bib Shorts, Gregarius Clima jerseys, and the Foul Weather Thermal Racing system, in addition to specific garments for winter training.

As for the aesthetics, the kit combines navy blue shorts with a jersey in yellow and white tones, accompanied by the radar graphic introduced by the brand in 2025, a symbol of concentration and orientation in demanding conditions.

Luigi Bergamo, CEO and Director of Research and Development at Q36.5, explained this new project: "The main objective of the project is to support our cyclists with the same level of excellence as our professional team, providing a complete and versatile high-performance equipment capable of ensuring the perfect balance between thermal regulation, aerodynamics, and comfort during races. At the same time, we want to create a network of ambassadors with a more open and accessible performance approach than the traditional standards of World Tour road cycling."

For her part, Alexis Skarda added: "In my approach to racing, I always seek the perfect balance between instinct and preparation. In the longest and most demanding races, the comfort and reliability of the clothing make a big difference. Q36.5 supports me and my teammates with high-performance garments that really work in all conditions, designed to offer comfort, efficiency, and durability. Knowing that we can count on such reliable equipment allows us to focus exclusively on performance, both in training and competition."