Pidcock and Ciccone team up for Pinarello-Q36.5: Missaglia puts an end to any controversy

There's no clash in sight between Tom Pidcock and Giulio Ciccone in next year's heavily reinforced Pinarello-Q36.5. One of the team's sporting directors, Gabriele Missaglia , assures us that coexistence between the two won't be a problem.

Since joining the team in early 2025, Pidcock has effectively led nearly every race he's competed in. Ten of his 15 career road race victories have come since leaving the former Ineos Grenadiers team, and he also won the mountain bike world title in both seasons.

Ciccone, released early from Lidl-Trek, will join Pidcock in the Swiss-licensed squad. This will give the team more options in various races, but the two have similar characteristics, and a clash of ambitions could have been a headache for the management.

This year, the two have often been seen together in the heat of racing: they are excellent climbers, are strong on many other terrains, and both ride with aggression and personality. They both have stage victories in the Grand Tours: the Abruzzo native won the mountains classification at both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France , while Pidcock was third in the 2025 Vuelta a España .

Both have also made their mark in the one-day classics: Pidcock won Strade Bianche and the Amstel Gold Race , as well as the Clásica San Sebastián in 2025.

Despite their similarities, Missaglia believes having both on the team is an opportunity. "I'd rather have two lively, high-level riders than just one," he explained. "I think both riders need to see the positive side of the situation. For me, and for them too, not having all the pressure on one rider can be an advantage. Sharing the responsibilities between the two, perhaps even in the same race, is better not only in terms of pressure but also from a tactical standpoint."

The coach added: "Ultimately, we're a team, and we'll try to work as one in the best possible way. Maybe one day we'll favor one, another day the other. We'll see what happens, but I don't see any problems with coexistence."

The two's 2027 plans are not yet finalized. It's possible they'll part ways at certain points this year, while at others we'll see them competing in the same races. Missaglia offered some examples: "I think they'll partly race together. If I think about the Tirreno-Adriatico, maybe only Ciccone will be there, while at the start of the Milan-Sanremo I'd like to see both of them. It depends on many factors. But I repeat, everything still needs to be built, and we'll do that starting from the next training camp in Spain."

Ciccone's move to Pinarello came after, though not necessarily because of, Lidl-Trek's failure to defend the pink jersey after he had taken the lead of the Giro d'Italia on stage four. Instead of working for Ciccone, the team chose to defend Jonathan Milan's second place in the points classification, and the pink jersey remained on the Abruzzese for just one day.