OFFICIAL: Tom Pidcock's Pinarello Q36.5 strike big in the transfer market again to snap up 23-year-old Grand Tour stage winner

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team have made another significant move in the transfer market, signing Czech sprinter Pavel Bittner from Team Picnic PostNL on a two-year deal from the start of 2027.

The 23-year-old becomes another proven WorldTour-level addition to Tom Pidcock's team following the already-announced arrival of Mauro Schmid, who added a Giro d'Italia stage victory to his palmares earlier this season.

Bittner brings Grand Tour success of his own. He claimed his breakthrough victory on stage 5 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, beating Wout van Aert in a photo finish, and has since completed two editions of the Tour de France.

Although he has not won again since that Vuelta success, his 2026 results have kept him among the most promising young fast men in the peloton. Bittner finished second at Scheldeprijs, third at the Bredene Koksijde Classic and also reached the podium on the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve.

The transfer will bring an end to a long association with the DSM structure, where Bittner progressed from the development team into the WorldTour ranks and established himself as a Grand Tour stage winner.

"From the outside I could already see how much this Team has grown over the last couple of seasons," Bittner says in Pinarello Q36.5's announcement. "Every conversation confirmed the same feeling: it's an ambitious project, but also one where people genuinely enjoy racing together. That family atmosphere really mattered to me because I believe you perform at your best when you truly enjoy the environment you're part of."

Pinarello Q36.5 have increasingly built their sporting project around close cooperation between the team and its equipment and performance partners, another part of the setup that appealed to Bittner.

"What really excites me is joining a team built around a genuine performance philosophy," he continues. "In modern cycling every detail makes a difference, and having brands like Pinarello, Q36.5 and Amacx fully integrated into the project creates a real advantage. The opportunity to work directly with the people developing the bikes, apparel and nutrition is something quite unique in our sport, and I'm really looking forward to being part of that process."

His move comes at an important stage of his development. The Vuelta victory proved Bittner could beat elite opposition on the biggest stage, while his results this season have shown he can repeatedly place near the front against established WorldTour sprinters. The next target is turning those performances into victories more regularly.

"Over the last couple of seasons I've become a more complete rider," Bittner says. "I've learned to stay calmer in the decisive moments and I know there's still another step to take. My ambition is to become a consistent winner, fight for victories in the biggest races and keep improving every year."

Pinarello Q36.5 are making no attempt to disguise the scale of their expectations. With Pidcock already established as the team's headline figure and Schmid adding another major-race winner for 2027, Bittner gives the Swiss squad a 23-year-old sprint option with considerable room still to develop.

"Pavel represents exactly the type of rider we want to build our future around," Team Principal Douglas Ryder says. "His talent has never been in question, but what impressed us most is his mindset. He's ambitious, analytical and constantly looking for ways to improve, qualities that fit perfectly with the culture we are building as a team."

Ryder also believes Bittner can develop beyond being an occasional winner at the highest level and establish himself among the peloton's leading sprinters. "At just 23 years of age he has already experienced two Tour de France campaigns, won a Grand Tour stage and continued to show remarkable progression this season," he adds. "We believe his best years are still ahead of him and we're excited to support his development as he continues his journey towards becoming one of the leading sprinters in professional cycling."

Bittner will finish the 2026 season with Team Picnic PostNL before formally joining Pinarello Q36.5 on January 1, 2027.

His signing, following Schmid's arrival, adds another young but already proven winner to a team that continues to strengthen around Pidcock rather than relying solely on its biggest star.