Another British star joins Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team and Tom Pidcock into 2026 season

Q36.5 are on an absolute roll. After netting what may have been the most important victory in their entire history at the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg, they have began announcing some big signings. And 24 hours after the reveal of Eddie Dunbar joining the Swiss team, Fred Wright is coming in as yet another new leader into the team.

“Fred is an intelligent rider. He reads the races well and is very versatile. He has already achieved top tens in Monuments like Milan-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and adding a focused classics block to his season will be a big objective for us together," team manager Doug Ryder has said in a press release.

"He was close to wins in the Tour de France and Vuelta a España already, and I feel we can offer him the final step to win again. His engine is big and his attacking style is always great to watch. When we were looking for riders to strengthen the classics team, he was quickly on our radar. He turned pro young and still is only 26, so I am really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the next three years.”

The truth is that the 26-year old has shown his very best level this year and this is not a signing of a rider who is past his peak. The Bahrain - Victorious rider rode to 10th at Milano-Sanremo and 9th at Paris-Roubaix this spring; and just this weekend he rode to sixth at the ADAC Cyclassics Hamburg. The Briton is an all-rounder capable of performing in the classics and hilly races but also packs a strong sprint and is capable of surviving the mountainous stages quite well. He could fit in very well within a smaller and more diverse calendar.

"I do want to win again, naturally, and feel like a new environment with a fresh focus, new ideas and new people will help me achieve that goal. There are opportunities for me in many races and after having done more or less the same race schedule for years, I am looking forward to discover new races too. I am here to help build the team but they are on a great trajectory already. The ambition is there and they will keep growing".

Wright has turned pro in 2020 and his sole pro win was at the 2023 British national championships. Now, the team who has the reigning Irish national champion Rory Townsend, can aim even higher. “I have been part of this team for my entire career so far and without discrediting them and all the opportunities I had here, it’s time for a new environment after six years. Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team feels like a good fit for me. I have known Tom [Pidcock] and Mark [Donovan] for a while and it feels the group they are building for the future is familiar already.”

His goals will mostly rely on the classics, taking into consideration how he's ridden in them over the past few years. “I have always loved races like Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders. When I was 13 we travelled to Belgium to do the Flanders sportive with VCL. We watched on the Oude Kwaremont and it was so cool to see Tom Boonen win and feel the spirit of thousands of enthusiastic Belgian fans,”.