“I know the legs will be there” - Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team unveil Giro d’Italia lineup as Tom Pidcock prepares for new chapter

With just four days to go until the 2025 Giro d’Italia rolls out on May 9th, Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team have revealed their squad for what will be their very first Grand Tour appearance. It marks a major milestone for the team, and a pivotal moment for star signing Tom Pidcock, who will lead their campaign.

Joining Pidcock in Italy will be Xabier Mikel Azparren, Nick Zukowsky, Matteo Moschetti, Damien Howson, Mark Donovan, Milan Vader and Emīls Liepiņš, forming a well-balanced unit of climbers and rouleurs. The team is built with both ambition and opportunity in mind.

“This is our first Grand Tour and it’s really something special,” said general manager Doug Ryder in a team press release. “Our Italian title partner Q36.5 has an extreme vision of the future of cycling clothing. To be able to represent this brand in Italy’s greatest race is a privilege.”

“We have prepared this race well, with the utmost precision, so our eight riders can perform to the best of their ability supported by a dedicated group of staff working together with such unity. I’m incredibly proud to see this team come together in the fight for results.”

Pidcock, who joined the team over the winter after leaving INEOS Grenadiers, will ride the Giro for the first time in his career. It feels like a fresh start for the man from Yorkshire, whose immense talent has already brought world and Olympic titles in cyclo-cross and mountain biking, along with wins at Strade Bianche and a stage in the Tour de France.

His time at INEOS ended sourly in 2024, but his move to Q36.5 appears to be paying off already. Many raised eyebrows at his decision to move from INEOS, a giant of the world tour, to Q36.5, a pro team. But, he has made a strong start to 2025, although the Giro is a new test altogether. Can Pidcock rise to the occasion?

“This is my first Giro d’Italia and I am excited,” said Pidcock. “Racing in Italy is always special, and I’ve got a lot of great memories from racing there. It’s a fantastic opportunity for us as a team and we have a responsibility to show we are worthy of that opportunity. I believe the whole team is going with a mission to show ourselves as Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.”

“For me personally I come with high ambitions and with the form I’ve carried from the Ardennes I know the legs will be there. Of course, there are many opportunities, but we are going to plan well and pick our moments.”

Having left INEOS to escape the constraints of a crowded leadership structure, Pidcock now has the freedom to target stages and potentially more, depending on how the race unfolds. He’ll be supported by a team not only capable of protecting him in the mountains but also fighting for results in breakaways and bunch sprints.

“We are proud to be in the race. My last Giro d’Italia was in 2021 with Team Qhubeka and we won three stages,” said sports director Gabriele Missaglia. “Our ambition this year is not to start with one goal like the general classification. We look at the race day by day. We hope to win stages with Tom or with Matteo.

“For Matteo there are five or six sprint opportunities. For Tom, who is our team leader, this is a perfect course with several opportunities for his type of rider. The Giro d’Italia is an open race this year so all our riders will have opportunities in a breakaway situation. I look forward to racing as a team.”