Milan Vader finds a new home at Q36.5, next to fellow mountain biker Tom Pidcock: "I have the quality, but I could not use it at Visma | Lease a Bike"
Cycling
Milan Vader found his new home at Q36.5 Pro Cycling. The ex-mountain biker spent past three season learning the ropes with at Team Visma | Lease a Bike, but eventually realized that in order to find his own place in the peloton, he needed to spread the wings and try to become a leader elsewhere. The 29-year-old is optimistic he has found just that in the Swiss ProTeam.
"We quickly agreed that I do have a quality, but that I could not use it at Visma | Lease a Bike. We both thought that was a shame and so it was better to go somewhere else," he says in the Alpecin Barbershop of WielerFlits.
"I am really positively surprised, there is a great atmosphere here. That is what I was looking for. I am sure that I made the right choice. It is very easy to get lost in weighing up your food and all the numbers in TrainingPeaks, that kind of thing. That has to remain fun. I am not saying that it was not fun at Visma | Lease a Bike. But the atmosphere here, yes, that suits me better," says the Dutch rider.
Vader hopes to win again next season, like he did in the Tour of Guangxi 2023. "Hands in the air may sound very simple, but that is such a nice feeling. I experienced that more often in mountain biking. On the road it is – at least, that is what I found out – a lot more difficult. I just want that nice feeling again."
Back at Visma, there were way too many leaders for too few races, but at Q36.5, the hierarchy behind Tom Pidcock is not as strictly laid out. "It is true that I will get more opportunities here. In that respect it may be easier. They also asked me here what I dream of. Last year I did La Fleche Wallonne and I felt that it was a race that should suit me. I had a good feeling about that, so I put a circle around it."
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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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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