From bad to worst - Picnic PostNL set to lose one of their last remaining leaders

Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team might become one of the most stacked sprinter teams in the peloton next season. Aside from their current headliners, they are reported to be signing Tom Crabbe and Tommaso Dati - two riders having a breakthrough season. It seems as if the Swiss team is also close to reaching a deal with Pavel Bittner of Team Picnic PostNL.

Team Picnic PostNL are in a complicated position, losing several of their leaders over the past few years and not having been able to replace them. This season, the Dutch team is far below the red line when it comes to the UCI points its scored, with its performance barely being able to maintain it in the Top30 of the UCI classification - with the World Tour having 18 teams.

Casper van Uden and Pavel Bittner, the team's two main sprinters, are the men that have been performing the most throughout the past season and the current one, but both are in contract year. According to Wielerflits, several sources have indicated that the Czech sprinter is going to sign with Pinarello - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, a second division team whose budget has multiplied since the entry of Tom Pidcock.

The Swiss team conducted several high-level signings last winter including Sam Bennett who joined Matteo Moschetti as a sprinter in the team; and the discipline seems to be a priority, with the team having also stacked its climber and classics blocks from 2025 to 2026.

The 24-year old was one of the top performers in the team last year, not contributing to the team's small victory tally, however providing consistent results throughout the sprints and classics over the year. At the Renewi Tour he won the points classification whilst finishing second twice; and at the World Tour-level Tour of Guangxi he was also second on two occasions (something he also achieved at the Volta a Catalunya).

This year Bittner was close to a breakthrough win, finishing second at Scheldeprijs to Tim Merlier, But the Dutch team wouldn't benefit from Bittner's form beyond that, as he hasn't finished a race since.

At the Classic Dunkerque, Bittner has suffered an ankle injury that is currently jeopardizing his Tour de France presence. With Max Poole and Casper van Uden likely to be absent from the race, the Dutch team is likely to experience a difficult summer, whilst there are no rumours of a big signing around the corner.