"The spark that ignites a new stage": Tom Pidcock lights the fuse in Murcia

The real start of the 2026 season for Tom Pidcock and the Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team will be today at the Vuelta a Murcia. The British rider will lead a block of seven cyclists in the Murcian event, which the team itself defines as “the spark that ignites a new chapter.”

Pidcock ignites the 2026 season of Pinarello Q36.5 at the Vuelta a Murcia

Pidcock faces this debut after an unusual but very successful winter, as the team decided to hold its first training camp at altitude away from Europe and flew to Chile, where they found the good weather that the other major teams have not had here.

The Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team approaches the Vuelta a Murcia with a clear mandate to compete “with intention, cohesion, and identity from the first kilometer of the 2026 road season.” This is stated in the official team announcement before the Murcian event.

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The main focus is on their captain, Tom Pidcock, who will debut this season in Spain. Pidcock arrives after “a deliberate and demanding winter block,” and Murcia will represent “his first number of the year, a key moment that sets the tone for what promises to be an intense and offensive campaign.”

The team also emphasizes that “his presence brings leadership, explosiveness, and ambition to a block prepared to liven up the race,” making it clear that the intention is not to speculate, but to take the lead from the start.

The structure that will accompany Pidcock in this first event of the year combines experience and tactical depth. Alongside him will be the Belgian trio formed by Quinten Hermans, Brent Van Moer, and Xandro Meurisse, the overall winner in Murcia in 2020. The lineup is completed by Sjoerd Bax, Mark Donovan, and Emils Liepins.

The Vuelta a Murcia 2026 takes place over two demanding stages that could be favorable for Pidcock's initiative. In stage 1, the Alto Virgen del Castillo, located 3.5 km from the finish, is expected to make a difference from the first day. Meanwhile, stage 2 has a rolling profile that invites “to race aggressively and take responsibility at the front.”