Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team has unveiled a new visual identity for 2026, led by a redesigned jersey that places the project’s “golden aspirations” front and centre. The kit reveal marks the clearest signal yet of a team leaning into a more defined position in the peloton: same core structure, but with a stronger premium feel and a clearer sense of purpose for the season ahead.
The message packaged with the launch is simple and deliberate: “Same ambition. Sharper focus.” In a sport where mid-tier teams can struggle to stand out, this is an attempt to make the project instantly recognisable before the racing even begins.
What’s changed in the new jersey
The new kit moves into a gold-and-blue palette with white sponsor logos, designed to read cleanly at speed and on broadcast. In the images released, the jersey sits in a deep blue base with gold detailing, including prominent Pinarello branding across the chest, while Q36.5 remains a central mark in white.
It is a confident, minimal look by modern standards, with less visual noise than many ProTeam designs, and it leans into contrast rather than complexity.
A new name, and a more explicit top-end identity
The rebrand to Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is the bigger story behind the fabric. Naming is rarely cosmetic in professional cycling. It is usually a marker of who holds influence, what kind of budget is being targeted, and how the team wants to be perceived by riders, organisers and sponsors.
Pinarello’s presence at the front of the team name pushes the project closer to the language of the WorldTour, even while the licence remains ProTeam. The subtext is that this is not meant to be a short-term experiment. It is a structured build, with a clearer identity around equipment, performance, and a recognisable “premium” lane in the market.
From Ryder’s restart to a team that now has expectations
Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team was created by Douglas Ryder and launched in 2023, effectively a return to the top end of the sport for a management group that had to rebuild after the Qhubeka project folded. The early seasons established credibility quickly through a steady flow of results, then the project gained a sharper edge with the arrival of Tom Pidcock and a stronger racing identity in 2025.
Pidcock’s immediate impact, including overall victory at the AlUla Tour, shifted the tone around the team. It stopped being framed as an interesting new ProTeam and started being discussed as a squad with genuine sporting pull, and with riders who can shape races rather than simply feature in them.
That change in expectation is exactly where kit and identity become more than marketing. A team that wants to be treated like a long-term player has to look like one.
2026 roster depth reinforces the “serious project” message
The 2026 roster points in the same direction as the kit launch: broader capability, more ways to win, and more credibility across terrain.
Notable arrivals for 2026 include:
- Sam Bennett, bringing proven WorldTour sprint pedigree
- Eddie Dunbar and Chris Harper, strengthening stage-race climbing depth
- Quinten Hermans and Fred Wright, giving the team more options for hard one-day races and aggressive racing
- Thomas Gloag, another step towards deeper GC support and future leadership
With Tom Pidcock still central, the squad now reads less like a team built around one headline rider and more like a structure that can pursue results across different race types without stretching itself thin.
What this launch is really trying to achieve
The jersey is doing two jobs at once.
First, it sets a clear visual identity: gold and blue, crisp sponsor placement, and a premium aesthetic that matches the Pinarello name at the front of the project.
Second, it signals intent. The team is no longer asking to be noticed. It is presenting itself as a modern, performance-led organisation that expects invitations, expects relevance, and expects to shape races.
That is a high bar for any ProTeam, but if you are going to set it, it makes sense to start with the one thing you can control in January: how you show up.
