"He’s the reason I’m on this team," says Pidcock — but who is that billionaire behind Q36.5 really?

A perfect week for Q36.5 Pro Cycling. The Swiss team won three out of five stages in the AlUla Tour and secured the overall victory with Tom Pidcock. Matteo Moschetti put the icing on the cake by winning the final stage. Both the Italian and the British rider were overjoyed with their hard-earned victories, which many were all too happy to share with IDLProCycling.com.

Moschetti acknowledged that his team had achieved something special in Saudi Arabia. “It’s hard to believe — what a week,” he beamed in the flash interview. “Today, the main goal was to keep Tom safe. After that, he was able to repay us for all the work we did for him. I’m really happy that I could thank him and the team with this win,” said the Italian, who saw his team leader at the front of the peloton heading into the final three kilometers.

The race finale was chaotic due to the crosswinds and ensuing echelons that shaped the stage from the start. But Q36.5 remained composed, and their sprinter delivered in style. “We were actually a little too far forward. When UAE launched the sprint, I was really close to the barriers. But I managed to squeeze through, and my speed was good. I was able to beat Molano in the final meters—what a sprint.” The win gives him confidence for the rest of the season. “Especially after such a tough year last season. I can’t believe it.”

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Pidcock: "Red Bull gives you wings, and apparently so does Q36.5"

Pidcock was possibly even happier than his teammate — and for multiple reasons. “I’m a bit emotional; it’s like a fairytale. Seeing how much this means to these guys, it’s incredible. Finishing it off like this, it’s incredible. The way they raced today… And to think I didn’t know any of these guys before December. Some of them I only met in January. What we’ve already shown and how we’ve done it, it’s just beautiful,” the overjoyed team leader shared.

With this win, the Brit claimed his first-ever overall victory in a stage race. “As a pro, yes,” he clarified—having previously won the Giro Next Gen as a U23 rider. “It took a while, but this is a big step in my career. The level of focus needed to defend the lead every single day… And this was just a five-day race. I realize now how tough it is. I can’t really describe how it feels. Red Bull gives you wings, and apparently, Q36.5 does too,” he said, pointing at his Red Bull helmet.

Q36.5’s sports directors Jens Zemke and Kurt Bogaerts were overjoyed. “This is truly special. It gives us confidence. Last year, we were the underdogs, but now we believe in ourselves. We’ve grown as a team. Matteo’s win is the perfect example: he had so much bad luck, and now he’s here winning. He was hit by a garbage truck that was reversing. It wasn’t his fault. He suffered multiple fractures in his back, so this was really serious,” said Zemke.

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Bogaerts: "Frison is someone we can rely on"

“For us, this is a fresh start, with one of the best riders in the world,” Zemke said. Bogaerts was equally happy: “Matteo has had a tough time, and he’s been hesitant in sprints. Even here, he got boxed in, but he trusted himself and went for it. And now, he’s being rewarded for his perseverance.”

“It has to be more than just Tom, so this is going to be a huge boost,” said the Belgian, who saw his leader take turns at the front after a full day of hard racing. “That really helps. We spent the entire day at the front, thanks in part to Frederik Frison. He’s another rider who has been through a lot and is now working his way back to his best level. Tom has already built a connection with him and can rely on him, just like he did with Luke Rowe at INEOS. He finished fourth in Gent-Wevelgem, so he’s someone you can count on.”

Pidcock, Moschetti, and Frison — all of them have come out of difficult periods. Does that create a bond? “I think so. The chemistry is good, despite the different nationalities. The guys are committed to working together, and we’ve really emphasized that from the very first training camp in December. That’s when we started building this team, and that’s the approach we need to continue,” Bogaerts said, smiling from ear to ear.

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Who is Ivan Glasenberg, the man behind Q36.5?

On Wednesday, Pidcock claimed his first victory in AlUla, after which Bogaerts had some words of praise for Ivan Glasenberg, the billionaire investor behind Pidcock’s team. “This is a thank you to the people who believe in us,” he said at Mountain Wikrah. “It has been a tough period, but yeah... When you see how Ivan Glasenberg (owner of Q36.5 and Pinarello, ed.) and the entire team believe in Tom… That means a lot. When people like that express their faith and reach out to truly support Tom, that’s special.”

Naturally, we also put the question to Pidcock, who responded: “To be honest, I think Ivan is the reason I’m on this team.” When asked if he could elaborate, his reply was brief: “No.”

Glasenberg, a 68-year-old South African who also holds Swiss citizenship, made his vast fortune as the CEO of commodities giant Glencore, a role he held from 2002 to 2021, when he stepped back into semi-retirement. A passionate sports and cycling fan — in his youth, he was a South African racewalking champion — he now invests in projects that he finds interesting and enjoyable. And with an estimated net worth of over $10 billion, he certainly has the financial means to do so.

Among his investments is Q36.5, a high-performance cycling apparel brand, and in 2023, he purchased an 80% stake in Pinarello, the legendary bike manufacturer that had long been associated with Pidcock at INEOS. Given the breakdown of Pidcock’s contract negotiations with INEOS, the connection between the two was quickly established. Although Glasenberg prefers to stay out of the public eye, he is determined to build a winning cycling team — and with Pidcock as his new star signing, success has already come in the first month of 2025.

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