For the first time, the team has completed a season featuring all three Grand Tours. From the Giro d’Italia to the Tour de France and now La Vuelta, 2026 has marked a new step in the team’s development and identity. Across three demanding weeks in Spain, that step became something even bigger: a first-ever Grand Tour stage victory.

Eddie Dunbar’s victory on Stage 19 at Peñas Blancas was the defining moment, but it was never the story of one rider alone. It was the result of a collective effort built over three weeks by Milan Vader, Walter Calzoni, David González, Marcel Camprubí, Xabier Mikel Azparren, Eddie Dunbar, Thomas Gloag, David De La Cruz, and the team around them.

Three Weeks of Commitment
Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team arrived at La Vuelta with a clear mission: race aggressively, chase stages and keep reaching for opportunities. From the opening week, the team looked to that objective every day. David González sprinted to ninth on Stage 5 before later being forced to abandon the race. Eddie Dunbar drove the breakaway on Stage 7 and finished eighth. Marcel Camprubí, the Spanish road champion, lit up the roads with a bold attack on Alto de Aitana. Xabier Mikel Azparren came within metres of a breakthrough result on Stage 10 before finishing sixth, then later confirmed his strength with a top ten in the time trial. In the high mountains, Walter Calzoni turned his Grand Tour debut into a statement of promise and resilience, fighting to ninth place on both Stage 14 and Stage 20. Milan Vader was active throughout the race, helping the team stay present and competitive. Thomas Gloag fought to reach the podium on the Stage 19 with a third place behind Dunbar. Across flat days, crosswinds, climbs, breakaways and summit finishes, every rider found a way to contribute.

The Breakthrough at Peñas Blancas
On Stage 19, the persistence finally became victory. Over 210.8 kilometres from Vélez-Málaga to Peñas Blancas, the team committed fully to one of its final chances. Dunbar, Gloag and Camprubí all reached the decisive phase at the front, giving Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team strength and tactical control when the road turned upwards for the final climb. Dunbar delivered the winning move inside the final kilometre, powering past Santiago Buitrago to take the team’s first Grand Tour stage win. Behind him, Gloag finished third and Camprubí fifth, placing three riders inside the top five on one of the hardest days of the race.

It was history made in style, and it gave meaning to every near miss that had come before it. The attacks, the breakaways, the top tens and the days spent fighting for position had all been part of the same story: a team learning how to create its moment and taking it.

A Spanish Farewell for David De La Cruz
The final week has also carried a special emotional weight for David De La Cruz. After announcing that he will retire from professional cycling at the end of La Vuelta, the 37-year-old has been embraced by the Spanish public in the race that has defined so much of his career. Since the announcement, the response from the roadside has made each stage feel like a celebration of a career built on resilience, intelligence and commitment. Carried by the support of the Spanish fans, he now approaches Granada with one last Vuelta finish ahead of him.

Granada Awaits
Today, La Vuelta reaches its finale in Granada. For Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team, the final stage will close not only three weeks in Spain, but a landmark Grand Tour season. The team came to this race determined to fight for stages. It leaves with history, belief and proof of what its collective strength can achieve. Sports Director Alex Sans Vega reflected on the team’s Vuelta and the significance of the result:

“I would say our main goal was to win a stage, and we ticked that box. We raced offensively and approached the stages in different ways: attacking in the final kilometres, making the race hard in the finales, and creating more options, whether going for a sprint with González or getting into breakaways. Every time, the guys were fully committed and gave 100%. In the end, all the effort they put in paid off. The performance group is really happy with that commitment. I think the team has grown since the start in Monaco until today, in every sense: as a unit, and in continuing to believe that it was possible. We succeeded, and we’re super happy. It was a very demanding Vuelta, with the course, the heat, and the transfers, and the boys kept fighting because, until the final day, we were part of the race and part of the game. That is what we asked for at the beginning: to be part of the race, to show that we are here, and to win a stage. It has all been achieved.”

As the race reaches Granada, Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team closes a historic Grand Tour season with a stage victory, a strengthened identity and a clear sense of momentum for what comes next.