Saturday Tom Pidcock will be in Turin for the start of the Vuelta a España. The British rider arrived in Piedmont with the ambition to finish high in the general classification and also win the first stage for Q36.5 in a grand tour.

With his characteristics, Pidcock is a rider difficult to categorize, because what he has done is truly incredible: two-time Olympic mountain bike champion, world cyclocross champion and stage winner at the Tour de France on Alpe d'Huez. In some aspects, he might remind one of Pauline Ferrand-Prevot, but to do so he would need to win the general classification of a grand tour, which is what he wants to do in this Vuelta.

Winning a grand tour is always difficult, and that's why in most cases the victory goes to an important team, with a big budget and strong riders who can support the leader. The British rider had an important team, but why did he leave Ineos-Grenadiers for a team with fewer economic resources? Simple, because he wanted to be the sole leader and have an entire team working for him, and in the British team he was never a true captain.

To test himself in 2025, he and his Q36.5 prepared a well-tested plan: participate in the Giro and the Vuelta. The Giro d'Italia did not go as he had imagined, with a 16th place in the general classification and only a podium in Matera. Now, however, the Vuelta is happening and Q36.5 is confident of being able to do great things.

The British rider had only one race before the Vuelta a España: the Arctic Race of Norway, which recently concluded. Two weeks after his second European mountain bike title, Pidcock crossed the Arctic Circle to test his legs, subjecting them to extremely high-intensity efforts. "I was looking for answers about my condition after a long training period and a month and a half without races. I feel that my legs are responding well and I'm fresh". This is what Pidcock had said after his victory in the third stage. The Q36.5 leader raised his arms at the top of the challenging Malselv climb and then finished the race in second place in the general classification behind Strong. "It was the best possible test for me right now, certainly a result that gives confidence for upcoming commitments".

Having stayed away from the Tour de France to compete in the European Mountain Bike Championships, he has now resumed road cycling and is ready to give his best at the Vuelta a España.

Although he did not win the Norwegian race, there is great confidence in the Q36.5 team and the conviction that Pidcock will be one of the men to beat in the Spanish race. "It will obviously be harder than the Arctic Race, but we will give our all for three weeks".

Under his Red Bull helmet, the British rider is smiling and still harbors hopes of completing his transformation as an all-round rider and getting close to the red jersey at the end of the three weeks of the Vuelta.

Q36.5 has tried to prepare in the best possible way, and Pidcock this season has shown he is there, finishing second at Strade Bianche and then third at Flèche Wallonne. The Giro was probably used more as training and to give him the preparation he then used at the European Championships. He did not shine in the pink race, but in the end he obtained a third place and in the Siena stage, where he was the favorite, he was unlucky because he punctured twice. When asked what he expects from the Vuelta, Tom Pidcock was clear: "I want to win a stage and see how far I can go in the general classification".