Sam Bennett and Eddie Dunbar will be riding Pinarello next season after their new team has moved to the Italian brand a year after Tom Pidcock signed. The British rider rode the bikes in his Ineos Grenadiers days and has been using Pinarello gravel bikes during races in recent weeks.
Bennett and Dunbar have just signed new contracts - for one and two years respectively - with ProConti team Q36.5 Pro Cycling. And though the team has been riding Scott bikes, that deal is now ending and Pinarrello comes on board as bike sponsor.
The move was anticipated given the sponsor and business interests behind Q36.5 Pro Cycling and the fact Pidcock signed for the team, from Ineos Grenadiers, and the bike sponsor opportunity his transfer generated.
Ivan Glasenberg, a mining billionaire said to be worth more than $10 billion, owns a sizeable chunk of clothing brand Q36.5, obviously the headline sponsor of Q36.3 Pro Cycling Team. And two years ago he also bought a controlling share in Pinarello in a deal believed to be worth €200 million.
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Those facts ensured the team was always likely to join forces with Pinarello once the Scott partnership expired, especially after a rider as marketable as Pidcock was signed.
Dunbar has been riding Giant and Bennett Van Rysel in recent seasons with Team Jayco AlUla and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. They will ride Pinarello with Q36.5 Pro Cycling at the same time Ineos Grenadiers also rides the Italian bikes.
"I'm really happy to be back on Pinarello full-time. It genuinely feels like coming home. I've always loved riding their bikes, and over the years, I've built such a strong relationship with the brand. It's the perfect reunion,£ Pidcock said of the new deal.
Pinarello president, Fausto Pinarello, said the deal was more than a partnership. Instead, it was a "shared vision".
"We're proud to take this step and bring the Pinarello name back to the front of the peloton as title sponsor. Together with Q36.5, we'll continue to push the boundaries of what's possible in cycling."
