Doug Ryder's Q36.5 Pro Cycling made the headlines this winter with the rumours of stealing Tom Pidcock from INEOS Grenadiers - which turned into reality two weeks ago. But the Swiss PRT team is not done on the market yet as their next prey seems to be the Italian sprinter Elia Viviani.
"It is not yet final, but Elia Viviani’s search for a new contract may soon come to an end," cycling journalist Daniel Benson writes on his website. "The Italian has been linked with a move to Q36.5 Pro Cycling. We understand that there is no agreement between the parties yet, but that discussions can be concluded in the coming days."
Some years ago, Vivani belonged on top of the sprint hierarchy with 5 stages at Giro d'Italia, 3 stages at Vuelta a Espana, 1 stage at Tour de France and culminating with European road title in 2019. Viviani's stays in Cofidis and later INEOS Grenadiers frankly didn't bear fruits and so the 35-years-old needs to look for a new team at the brink of his career.
While Viviani's glory days on road may be a matter of past, the Italian seems to be as excited as ever about track cycling. In the Italy's national team jersey, he has taken Olympic gold in omnium in 2016 and rose to silver in Madison this year. In addition he's also double World champion (2021 and 2022) in elimination race.
In any case, the sprinter is certainly not saying goodbye to track cycling – in fact he hopes to be back at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles – but will focus more on the road in his first non-Olympic year. "I would like to return to the Giro d’Italia next year. Winning a stage in the Giro, that’s really my dream."
Q36.5 Pro Cycling seem to be building a very strong lineup for 2025. Next to Tom Pidcock, other high profile signings such as Milan Vader, Emils Liepins, Harm Vanhoucke or Sjoerd Bax seem to be steps in the right direction in order to build a team the big race organisers would love to invite. Will the signings of Pidcock and Viviani be enough to secure a Grand Tour invitation? We'll find out soon enough.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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