Tom Pidcock climbs to fifth in UCI ranking as Pinarello Q36.5 aim high after signing Ciccone and Schmid

Pinarello Q36.5 have celebrated a successful 2026 season that saw them rise to 12th in the UCI team rankings, with Tom Pidcock ranked fifth in the individual rankings.

The Swiss-based ProTeam scored a total of 10,863 UCI ranking points in 2026, a 32.7% increase on 2025, which meant they rose from 19th to 12 in the team ranking. That was better than six WorldTour teams, including Movistar, EF Education-EasyPost and Jayco AlUla and five places better than their ProTeam rival Tudor.

The good team ranking ensured that Pinarello Q36.5 will secure invitations to all the 2027 WorldTour races, including the Tour de France. 

Pidcock is the Pinarello Q36.5 leader and he scored over 4000 points, four times more than his nearest teammate Quenten Hermans and 20% more than in 2025.  

Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) topped the UCI rider rankings with 9331 points, with Remco Evenepoel (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) second with 7191 points and Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) third with 5606 points.

The Yorkshireman won five non-WorldTour races in 2026 but also scored a haul of points thanks to his second place to Pogacar at Milan-San Remo, ninth overall at the Tour and a strong end to the season in the Autumn Classics and second at the Tour of Guangxi. He also won the mountain bike world championships to underline his multi-discipline bike talents.

"Tom finishing fifth in the world, the highest ranking of his career, is another exceptional milestone. He is one of the most talented athletes in cycling, and his achievements reflect both his extraordinary ability and the environment we are building around our riders to help them perform at their very best," Pinarello Q36.5 team manager Doug Ryder said.

"Finishing 12th in the world is an outstanding achievement and a defining moment for our organisation. We are a UCI ProTeam competing against the very best teams in professional cycling, and this result demonstrates the strength of our vision, the quality of our people and the progress we have made together."

Both the Pinarello and Q36.5 brands are owned by billionaire Ivan Glasenberg, who offers the team long-term financial security as they develop and improve. The team said the 2026 ranking was a measure of their progress and set a benchmark for their future. 

They did not apply for WorldTour status in 2027 and so can't replace Picnic PostNL if they are refused a UCI licence but appear on track to become a WorldTour team in 2029, when the UCI is due to award the next three-year WorldTour spots.

Pinarello Q36.5 have significantly strengthen their roster for 2027, signing 11 new riders, including Giulio Ciccone via a transfer from Lidl-Trek, Tour de France stage winner Mauro Schmid, sprinter Pavel Bittner from Picnic, Davide Ballerini from XDS, Andrew August from Netcompany and Ethan Hayter from Soudal.

The 2027 roster includes Fred Wright, Eddie Dunbar and Matteo Moschetti and should ensure Pinarello Q36.5 have an even more successful 2027 season, with less pressure on Pidcock to score ranking points and lead the team at the Tour de France.