Tom Pidcock, equipped with an armada of teammates, returns to finish his business at Vuelta a Andalucía
CyclingFriday, 06 February 2026 at 06:00
After last year’s podium, Tom Pidcock will return to the Ruta del Sol - Vuelta Ciclista a Andalucía aiming to be in the thick of the action again. The mountain-bike Olympic champion will lead Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling in the Andalusian race starting in less than two weeks on February 18 in Benahavís, backed by his UCI ranking and the third place he secured in the previous edition.
The British rider tackles the race for a second year running as one of the favourites. In 2025 he animated the event, won the stage finishing in Torredelcampo (Jaén), and fought a fierce general classification battle with Pavel Sivakov (UAE), who ultimately took the yellow jersey. Pidcock finished third, close to the winner, in a contest that could well be renewed this season.
Pinarello Q36.5 assembled a solid, versatile squad to support its leader. Among the standout names is Belgian Xandro Meurisse (34), an experienced attacker, regular in long breakaways and effective in reduced sprints. That was the formula behind his win at the Vuelta a Murcia 2020. It will be his second appearance in Andalucía, after debuting in 2017 with Wanty.
Alongside him is Briton Fred Wright (26), a powerful rouleur with multiple top 10s in top-tier classics such as the Tour of Flanders, Paris–Roubaix, and Milano–Sanremo. His sharp finish, honed on the track - he was European U23 madison champion - makes him dangerous in selective finales, a scenario that matches several finishes on this year’s route.
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Q36.5 line-up for Vuelta a Andalucía
The line-up also features Quinten Hermans (30), making his race debut. The Belgian boasts a stage win at Itzulia Basque Country and second place at Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2022, results that underline his consistency on demanding terrain.
The seven is completed by Dutchman Milan Vader (29), winner of the Tour of Guangxi and another debutant at the Ruta del Sol; Belgian Brent Van Moer (28), set for his second Vuelta a Andalucía and a stage winner at the 2022 Critérium du Dauphiné; and Pole Kamil Malecki (30), returning after racing the 2022 edition with Lotto Soudal. We’ll see what they can deliver at a spectacular Vuelta a Andalucía 2026.
Tom Pidcock finished on Vuelta podium last year
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- MvdP will retire before age is a factor. The Cipressa simply isn't difficult enough for Pogi's climbing dominance to distance a healthy MvdP. Just how this palmares is. If Pogi ultimately wins without MvdP being in the race he may not take as much pleasure in it.NREsq06-02-2026
- But for Pogi brain-farting and crashing in last year's P-R, he wins. My $$ is on Pogi this year. Milan-San Remo is another matter. For Pogi to beat MvdP the latter has to make a mistake. Possible, but MvdP rarely makes mistakes.NREsq06-02-2026
- Of course, there's no denying their tactics of thinning the peloton works. But a race is not just a hill climb. I'm thinking of his 100km solo ride which is actually feasible IF the whole peloton organize a chase on flat terrains after UAE blows thing up on a climb. That's a big IF.
KerisVroom06-02-2026 - yeah, wondering what he could do in a Liege if he committed to climbing. he has finished as high as 3rd, so he is close.mij06-02-2026
- I love the spring races and was hoping to see MVDP, Tadej, Wout, Mads and more at the top of their game, slugging it out for the win.mij06-02-2026
- looking at the last 20 years of Quick-Step, they just keep winning. so to suggest PL doesn’t know tactics is insane. and sprints need tactics. they need to watch echelons, be on the protected side of the road for the run in. positioning. but ultimately, the legs speak. the fastest riders win more than they lose regardless of tactics. so for Horner to suggest Remco is losing due to tactics is insane. All the tactics in the world won’t do you any good if you don’t have the legs. Remco has not had the legs to compete with Tadej. No one has, except MVDP.mij06-02-2026
- he doesn’t have to hold off a peloton. UAE whittles down the peloton to a few riders. Tadej blows up the rest. And there are not enough people left to organize a resistance. I don’t know what “tactics” horner thinks he can employ against that.mij06-02-2026
- Says the guy who was whining earlier cuz they took the TT bikes out of the race!frieders306-02-2026
- "as I said, I think it shouldn't be up to us [riders]. There should be, I don't know, rules or just someone outside of the riders who will decide what we do or what we don't do." - Interesting take, given how many times riders have (rightly) put their foot down about not riding in horrendous weather, or for neutralisation after mass-crash events - when if it were still up to someone "outside the riders", the race would go on - their safety be damned.antipodeanpedalfan06-02-2026
- It’s not jus MVDP though is it, he’s tried 5x and hasn’t even come 2nd, Mathieu only won twice, though admittedly he sacrificed a 3rd to help Jasper win it.Mistermaumau05-02-2026
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