Netcompany INEOS is rumoured to lose yet another talented rider to Pinarello Q36.5
CyclingFriday, 17 July 2026 at 03:00
Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team continue to make massive strides on the 2026 transfer market. The Swiss ProTeam is looking to promote to WorldTour at the end of the 2026-2028 UCI license cycle; and their transfer goals fully reflect that ambition.
The headline signing for the team of Tom Pidcock appears to be Mauro Schmid. The former Swiss champion scored over 2.000 UCI points in the first half of 2026 and is linked with a very lucrative contract.
Furthermore, the team acknowledges its lack in sprinter departement. To replace the struggling Sam Bennett, either Czech sprinter Pavel Bittner (Picnic PostNL) or rising Belgian talent Tom Crabbe are expected to fulfill his spot.
But changes are expected in the climbing department as well. Experienced captain Damien Howson hangs up his bike at the end of this season, and compatriot Sebastian Berwick (winner of the Tour of Turkey) could take his place. Another Caja Rural's climber Jan Castellon has also been mentioned in connection to Pinarello Q36.5.
And according to journalist Daniel Benson, yet another youngster is set to join Pidcock; his former INEOS teammate Andrew August might be the key final piece to Pinarello's future.
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Yet another failed project of INEOS, or..?
This decade has been marked by eternal struggle to live up to the legacy of "The Empire" for Netcompany INEOS. Despite many erratic developments in the team's structure, Egan Bernal's 2021 Giro d'Italia title remains the last Grand Tour victory in their rich palmares.
Over the years, the British team had placed their hopes of becoming the "next Froome" or "next Bernal" on several young talent, but ultimately neither reached the heights of their predecessor.
One of their hopefuls to turn things around has been the young American climber Andrew August. Coming off a great junior career which included title from the most prestigous stage race Ain Bugey Valromey Tour (won ahead of Paul Seixas), INEOS seemed to have found their new prodigy as at the same time, Carlos Rodríguez made strides at the Tour de France with a fifth place overall at the age only 22.
But since then, things have gone sideways. Rodríguez did not continue to flourish and a series of health problems back-tracked his development by several seasons.
Carlos Rodriguez is nowhere near his 2023 form
The expectations are high
As for August, the step into WorldTour may have been a little too early, although his talent continues to show glimpses of the potential he's been accredited by experts back in 2023.
The 2024 season was more about adjusting to the whole new world he's entered, and only 7th overall at Czech Tour (2.1) is a result worth noting.
The following year was already more optimistic; August consistently competed in the finales of races, and even came close to beating Giro d'Italia runner-up Isaac del Toro at the Tour of Austria with two second places.
But the first professional has been evading August until this spring when he discovered the recipe to prevail in two breakaway; at the Volta Comunitat Valenciana and Itzulia Basque Country. In addition, the 20-year-old finished top-10 overall at the three different races.
Whether he'll have all ins and outs to become a GC leader he was prognosed to, that remains to be seen, but Pinarello Q36.5 might have secured a leader for years to come with this deal.
Meanwhile at Netcompany INEOS, the hopes are already pinpointed on August's successor as Ain Bugey Valromey Tour champion, the Spanish prodigy Benjamín Noval who is expected to take the step up straight to WorldTour in 2027.
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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Rafionain-Glas17-07-2026 - UAE had their reasons. They didn't want teammates from Visma to get up the road to help Jonas later and it kept aggressiveness down in the main peloton. plus it preserved the stage should they want to go for it. they can race as they wish based on the best tactics for them, they are not there to please you, or the peloton.mij16-07-2026
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- They have a strong team indeed but it is not really UAE to WHAT or WHO Pogacar is. You could pick his supportive riders from any team and make several hundreds of variations and yet he would still win. About the salary cap: Pogacar is extremely underpaid despite being the most paid rider:) Just look at price / performance. How much captains of rival teams earn and how much they actually win? Put all their achievements in one bag and directly compare it with his bag. Just to have idea of what he should have earned... People have a lot of money they cannot really spend, or better to say, don't really know how to enrich it. If smart, one would just buy out the player clause and put his name in "eternity", relying on Pogacar already having a legendary status in the cycling industry. Then start something greater. Anyone? It's peanuts!Bublubublu16-07-2026
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