Team 31 Aug 2026, 1:00PM

SPANISH INSTINCT. RACE SHARP. JAN CASTELLON JOINS PINARELLO Q36.5

Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team is pleased to announce the signing of Jan Castellon on a two-year contract from 1 January 2027.

The 23-year-old Catalan joins from Caja Rural-Seguros RGA after a steady progression through its development structure and two seasons at professional level.

A climber with growing general classification ambitions, Castellon has established himself as a consistent stage racer. In 2025, he finished fourth overall at the Route d’Occitanie, fifth at the Tour de Hongrie and seventh at the Tour of Slovenia.

His progression has continued in 2026, with ninth overall at the AlUla Tour and 11th at the Tour Auvergne–Rhône-Alpes. In July, he delivered his strongest professional result to date, finishing second overall at the Tour of Magnificent Qinghai.

For Castellon, joining Pinarello Q36.5 represents the next step after several years of measured development.

"I feel this is the right moment to take another step in my career. Over the last two seasons I have seen that I can perform consistently in professional stage races and fight for general classifications."

Jan Castellon

Jan Castellon: “I like to race aggressively. I want people to see a rider who attacks, who is always trying to win and who takes his opportunities. That mentality fits very well with Race Sharp.

“I want to keep developing as a GC rider, but also improve in one-day races. Looking further ahead, making my Grand Tour debut is another step I would really like to take.”

A FACTORY TEAM BUILT AROUND THE RIDER

Castellon’s ambitions also align closely with Pinarello Q36.5’s philosophy as the Home of Cycling Innovation.

Riders are active participants in the performance development process, working closely with the Team and its technical partners across equipment, apparel and nutrition. Rather than applying a single solution across the roster, the objective is to understand the individual athlete and optimise the details around their specific performance needs.

It is an approach Castellon sees as particularly important as he looks to unlock the next level of his performance.

Jan Castellon: “Technology and developing things around each individual rider are incredibly important in cycling today. Every rider is different, so having a Team that looks at what works best for each of us is something I really value.

“Knowing that I can be involved in that process and work together with the Team to find the best solutions for me is really exciting. I think that environment can help me take another step.”

INTERNATIONAL BY DESIGN

Castellon will enter a highly international environment while finding some familiar Catalan connections, including rider Marcel Camprubí and Sports Director Alex Sans Vega.

Having spent his career to date within Spanish teams, Castellon identified that familiarity as an important factor in making his first move into an international structure.

Rather than defining the Team through one nationality or cycling culture, his arrival further strengthens an increasingly international group in which different racing backgrounds and perspectives come together around the same performance philosophy.

"Jan has developed consistently over the past few seasons and is already showing that he can compete for strong results in demanding stage races."

Douglas Ryder, Team Principal

Douglas Ryder, Team Principal: “What we particularly like is his racing instinct. He wants to attack, be involved and discover where his limits are. At 23, there is still plenty of room for development, and we believe our Team environment can give him the tools and support to take that next step.

“We are bringing together riders from different countries, backgrounds and cycling cultures, while giving each of them access to the innovation and individual performance development that define this Team. Jan fits that philosophy extremely well.”