Pinarello-Q36.5 make another major signing as rising sprint star Pavel Bittner joins

The 23-year-old will join the Swiss ProTeam from 1 January 2027, adding another major name to a recruitment drive that has already brought in Tour de France stage winner Mauro Schmid.

Bittner is regarded as one of the most promising young sprinters in the peloton and already has considerable experience at the highest level.

He has completed two editions of the Tour de France and won a stage at the 2024 La Vuelta a España. In 2026, the Czech rider finished second at Scheldeprijs and also reached the podium at Bredene Koksijde Classic and on the opening stage of the Volta ao Algarve.

His signing follows another major move by Pinarello-Q36.5, with Tour de France stage winner Mauro Schmid already confirmed on a three year deal from 2027.

The 25-year-old Swiss rider has enjoyed one of the best seasons of his career, winning a Tour stage and finishing second on two others.

With Schmid and now Bittner secured, Pinarello-Q36.5 are quickly putting together a stronger core for 2027.

“From the outside I could already see how much this team has grown over the last couple of seasons,” Bittner said in a press release by the team.

“Every conversation confirmed the same feeling. It’s an ambitious project, but also one where people genuinely enjoy racing together.”

The Czech rider believes he is now ready to turn his growing consistency into more victories.

“Over the last couple of seasons I’ve become a more complete rider,” he said. “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 and fight for victories in the biggest races.”

Bittner spoke in more detail about his career and ambitions during an appearance on the Domestique Hotseat podcast earlier this season. The conversation ranged from a bruising Paris-Roubaix to the instinct behind his breakthrough Vuelta victory in Sevilla, where he beat Wout van Aert after making a split second decision in the final 300 metres.

He also discussed how he sees his role developing beyond pure bunch sprinting, including the possibility of becoming more competitive in the Classics while continuing to target sprint victories.

That broader outlook is also part of what attracted Pinarello-Q36.5 to Bittner.

“Pavel represents exactly the type of rider we want to build our future around,” Team Principal Douglas Ryder said.

“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.”

“We believe his best years are still ahead of him.”

The signings of Bittner and Schmid are further evidence of Pinarello-Q36.5’s growing ambitions.

With Pinarello owner and Q36.5 investor Ivan Glasenberg behind the project, the team has increasingly shown it is prepared to compete for established winners and some of the biggest young talents in the sport.

That ambition has also fuelled speculation around Paul Seixas. Reports suggested Pinarello-Q36.5 were prepared to offer the French talent around €13 million per year, although Seixas denied during the Tour de France that such an offer had been made.

Whatever the reality behind those figures, the confirmed arrivals of Schmid and Bittner underline a team continuing to raise its ambitions, having already made a major statement in 2024 by signing Tom Pidcock, one of the sport’s leading and most exciting riders.