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Against the Odds: A Grand Tour Podium

On Sunday, Tom Pidcock and Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team achieved something that few thought possible in modern cycling: a UCI ProTeam stepping onto the podium of a Grand Tour.

For as long as we can remember, cycling’s biggest stage races have been dominated by WorldTour giants. With deeper budgets, decades of infrastructure, and long-established rosters, the podium in Madrid, Rome or Paris has almost always been their preserve. Yet in 2025, a wildcard team, proved that resilience, preparation, and belief can rewrite the script.

9 September 2025

The Wildcard that Changed Everything

When La Vuelta organisers extended us a wildcard invitation, they gave us both an opportunity and a responsibility. Every wildcard means another team stays home, so every kilometre raced is a chance to prove that faith right.

We took those lessons from the Giro, our first ever Grand Tour earlier this season, and turned them into a clear plan. By the time the Vuelta arrived, we were not only prepared to race, we were prepared to contend.

The Breakthrough of a Career

Tom Pidcock rode with courage and calculation, climbing from contender to podium finisher across three weeks of brutal racing.

As he said from home today:

“Yeah, I feel proud. I feel happy. Think the biggest thing is now I’m free of being on a schedule every day, focused on recovering, and now I can sit in the sun and not need to worry about it. It’s probably the biggest achievement of my career so far… this third place feels like a win. But it also makes me believe I could fight for more in the future.”

For Tom, the podium is more than a result. It’s proof of what’s possible, both for him as an athlete and for a team writing a new chapter in professional cycling.

A Milestone for the Team

General Manager Doug Ryder reflected on what this means for the organisation:

“It’s still a bit surreal to have a rider on the team who now stands amongst the greats of cycling on a Grand Tour podium. It’s remarkable we are now one of the teams who have a rider who achieved that podium place after a gruelling three weeks of intense racing. Our goal was a top ten, our dream a top five, but a podium is exceeding all our dreams. And all that in only our second Grand Tour since Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team started three years ago.”

He continued:

“This has always been a dream in all the teams we have run throughout the years and for many years it seemed an unattainable dream. It’s a privilege to now have built something with all our partners and with our incredibly professional staff members to attract a rider like Tom Pidcock. We have been able to create an environment where one of the best riders in the world feels comfortable, valued and supported by some of the most incredible people in the cycling business. This achievement by Tom has lifted the entire team. With the right people, the right environment and the right culture you can attract the best of the best, on and off the bike. That makes me very proud of this team and everyone involved.”

Why It Matters

A Grand Tour podium by a ProTeam isn’t just rare. It’s almost unheard of in recent years. It shows that cycling’s hierarchy is not absolute, that opportunity can still be seized by those who were not supposed to be there.

It also highlights the collective: the soigneurs, coaches, sports directors, doctors, nutritionists, mechanics, and staff who gave 99% of the effort behind the scenes. And the partners whose innovations in apparel, nutrition, recovery, and technology delivered the final one percent of advantage.

Beyond Madrid

This podium is not the end of our story. It is a milestone that confirms our philosophy works: Race Sharp. Prepare with Precision. Be Better Together.

We stood as underdogs in in a parking lot in Madrid, and showed that belief, commitment, and unity can overcome expectation.

For Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, the journey is only just beginning.