OFFICIAL: Tom Pidcock's Pinarello Q36.5 continue huge summer recruitment drive with signing of five-time 2026 winner

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team have made another major move in the transfer market, officially confirming the arrival of five-time 2026 winner Tom Crabbe from Team Flanders-Baloise.

The 21-year-old Belgian will join on 1 January 2027 after signing a two-year contract through to the end of 2028. Crabbe has established himself as one of the season’s leading sprint revelations and has already set his sights on one day standing on the Champs-Elysees in the Tour de France green jersey.

His arrival continues a busy summer for the team built around Tom Pidcock.

Pinarello Q36.5 have also secured 2026 Giro d’Italia stage winner Mauro Schmid, Czech Tour winner Andrew August, Grand Tour stage winner Pavel Bittner and Australian climber Sebastian Berwick for next season.

Crabbe entered 2026 without a professional victory but required only one race day to change that, beating Lukas Kubis on the uphill opening stage of the Etoile de Besseges.

A second win followed at the Vuelta a Andalucia, where he defeated Soren Waerenskjold and Sandy Dujardin in Pozoblanco. His breakthrough then gathered further momentum at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkiye with victories on stages one, two and eight, as well as the points classification.

The final victory in Ankara came on an uphill finish and reinforced a pattern already established at Besseges. While Crabbe possesses the acceleration required for conventional bunch sprints, several of his best performances have come when the road has risen towards the line.

“I’ve learnt this year that uphill sprints suit me quite well, but I also know there are areas where I can become much better, especially producing power at really high speed,” Crabbe said in Pinarello Q36.5’s official announcement. “I’m still really young and I have a lot to learn. Everything takes time. I want to keep putting in the work, understand myself better as a rider and explore where my sprint can take me.”

Crabbe’s speed and positioning were developed partly through racing on the track. He became European under-23 elimination champion in 2025, having previously won medals in the Madison at junior and under-23 level.

His road progression has been rapid. After spending 2024 with the Bingoal WB development team, Crabbe turned professional with Team Flanders-Baloise in 2025 and produced his first major indication of what was to come at the Tour of Britain.

He finished inside the top 10 in all four bunch sprints and took second behind Olav Kooij on stage two in Stowmarket. Crabbe later described that performance as the moment he first realised he could compete near the front against established professional sprinters.

Crabbe had attracted reported interest from Tudor Pro Cycling and Soudal – Quick-Step before Pinarello Q36.5 emerged as his expected destination earlier in the season. The move has now been formally confirmed as Team Flanders-Baloise prepare to disappear from the professional peloton at the end of 2026 following the withdrawal of financial support from the Flemish government.

He will enter a Pinarello Q36.5 squad containing several experienced fast riders, while Bittner’s arrival from Team Picnic PostNL gives the team another young sprinter to develop alongside him.

“There are some really experienced riders in the team and that is something I’m looking forward to. I want to keep an open mind and learn as much as I possibly can,” said Crabbe. “Especially in my first year, at the dinner table, at training camp and during races, I’ll be listening. I want to understand how the more experienced riders approach different situations and pick up as much as I can from them. Ultimately, we all want the same thing: to help the team win races. I want to play my part in that, keep developing and be ready when opportunities come.”

The move will also give Crabbe access to the team’s wider performance programme and direct work with its mechanics, engineers and technical partners. Aerodynamics, clothing, bike set-up and nutrition will all become part of his attempts to improve the high-speed power he has identified as one of his remaining weaknesses.

“It will be a big step up for me. Being able to work closely with the team, mechanics, engineers and partners and give direct feedback is something I’m really looking forward to,” he explained. “I think next year will open my eyes to everything that goes into racing at this level. I want to understand those details and learn how we can use them to perform better.”

Crabbe describes himself as humble, ambitious and curious, but his ultimate ambition leaves no doubt about the direction in which he wants his career to develop.

“If I’m honest, my big dream is to be on top of the Champs-Elysees in the green jersey one day,” he revealed. “I call it a dream rather than a goal because it is still a long way away. Right now, I want to become the best version of myself, put in the work and see where that takes me. But I think you always need one big dream.”

Team principal Douglas Ryder believes Crabbe’s attitude and willingness to learn make him a natural fit for the squad alongside the results he has already produced.

“It’s exciting to welcome Tom to the team. He’s a rider with obvious talent, but what impressed us most was his friendly demeanour, his energy, and his willingness to learn,” said Ryder. “He comes across as someone who is genuinely curious about how to get better and is prepared to put the work in. We think he’ll fit really well into our group. He’s at a great age, already achieving strong results, but still with a lot of room to grow. We’re looking forward to helping him take the next steps in his career and seeing the impact he can have within the team.”

Crabbe will complete his final season with Team Flanders-Baloise before joining Pinarello Q36.5 on 1 January. His arrival adds a second young sprint option alongside Bittner to a recruitment group that also includes Schmid, August and Berwick.