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Emmanuel Houcou joins Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

Emmanuel Houcou joins the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team for the next three seasons. The young Frenchman has shown in his first year in the pro and U23 peloton that he has a lot of potential in sprints, puncheur-type finishes and classics-style racing. Houcou grew up on the island of Martinique, a part of France in the Caribbean. Cycling runs in the family so it was a logical choice for young ‘Manu’.

22 September 2025

“I was four or five years old when I started on a mountain bike,” he says. “I think I was ten when I first raced on the road. Cycling is very popular on the island. The Tour de Martinique stage race is a big event. My dad and uncle were cyclists and my grandfather too, so it was a logical choice. I will be the only professional cyclist from the island next year and am really proud of that. I hope my step to the pros and the races I will get to ride, will inspire young riders on Martinique to also dream big.”

Houcou himself dreamed big when he was just 16 years young and travelled to Hyères, in the south of France, with his 18-year-old sister Rachel to finish high school. He raced with VC Hyerois as a junior and moved to the highly renowned amateur team of AVC Aix when he was 18. He now lives in the city of Aix-en-Provence and raced with the Arkéa B&B development team this season.

“I am sprinter but a modern sprinter,” he introduces himself. “Peter Sagan was my idol growing up. I also love the Classics and like him I can sprint after a harder race with some climbs like many modern sprinters these days. Just like him I also like to spice up the races and finally I can also do well on puncheur-style finishes.”

Houcou recently showed this with a second place in GP Plouay, a race with pro teams and club teams, which is run on the same punchy course as the World Tour race. It’s only his first year in the U23 ranks but he already showed what he is capable of and the terrains he thrives on.

He was the runner-up in the U23 version of the Bredene Koksijde Classic, scored top tens in Paris-Troyes, Tour de Bretagne and Paris-Roubaix. His biggest win was the opening stage in the Orlens Nations GP, a renowned stage race for the U23 category in Poland.

“There was a strong field there with all the strong sprinters from my age group like Jed Smithson and Mathieu Kockelmann. It was the first race I did with the national team, and it was a great week. I also liked racing Paris-Roubaix where I was ninth. It was a lot harder than I expected but I also had great fun.”

It was after that race Houcou came onto the radar of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. After receiving a call from head of performance Kurt Bogaerts and a video call with general manager Doug Ryder, Houcou decided to join the team.

“I will be the only French rider on the team next year,” he says. “I could have joined a French team but Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is one of the most modern teams out there with a big future. Joining an international team is a bit out of the comfort zone but I can’t wait. They looked for a rider like me, the contact was very pleasant straight away and they have a good plan for me to grow and develop. I am still young so the first year will be more about helping someone like Matteo Moschetti, but I hope to win races too. My biggest dream is to be World Champion and win Milan-Sanremo. It’s becoming more difficult for sprinters every year, but the dream is there so why not.”

General manager Doug Ryder said on the signing of the young Frenchman:

“We’re excited to welcome Emmanuel Houcou to Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team as our first French rider, joining us from Martinique, and as a second sprinter alongside Matteo Moschetti. Manu is a modern sprinter with a real taste for the classics, including races like Milan–Sanremo. With us, he’ll have a great program and the chance to take on some big races that will help him continue to develop. He thrives in technical, slightly chaotic finishes with an uphill kicker. These are the perfect characteristics for modern cycling.”

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