Racing with a €300 'condom' on - Tom Pidcock's doing it to great success, as Q36.5 unveil new rain jacket
Cycling
No, it is not a joke. Q36.5 have unveiled a new rain jacket called 'the condom', which has been used by Tom Pidcock and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team this year with great results. The name given by the Swiss clothing company is certainly eye-catching, and it came as a result of collaboration with the team throughout the 2025 season.
The company looked towards Tom Pidcock's feedback to develop the new rain jacket, which they aptly named after a joke. "He was telling me how, as a protected rider, he would often spend hours racing very protected in the bunch," Q36.5 founded Luigi Bergamo said. "With a heart rate as low as 80BPM and how this meant, if the weather was bad, he would suffer the cold tremendously and needed truly thermal racing gear".
Hence the jacket was experimented on several times throughout the season, with Pidcock notably using it in Tirreno-Adriatico and Flèche Wallonne, races where the rain was present and the weather was truly difficult to handle. In both occasions, he rode it to great success, confirming it did not hamper performance - whilst, at least in the Swiss company's point of view, perhaps improving it.
'The 'Condom' is engineered to be the last layer in the rider's rain system (to be worn even without a jersey underneath), worn underneath either the Vampire, or Vampire + Rain Shell/Rain Shell Plus which will be removed in the last kilometres where the rider needs to be as aero as possible," he explained. Officially, the price will be at £250 pounds, or about €282 euros, making it quite pricy for the average cyclist.
This year Tom Pidcock had a tremendous debut season with the Swiss team and managed to confirm his Grand Tour rider credentials at the Vuelta a España where he finished on the podium, and his influence has seen the team being able to sign several World Tour riders into the 2026 season.

At Tirreno-Adriatico, Pidcock came close to taking the win with full winter gear on. @Sirotti
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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