Fred Wright will join Q36.5 Pro Cycling from Bahrain Victorious for 2026, uniting with Tom Pidcock as part of their Classics squad, it was announced on Tuesday.
The Londoner, 26, has spent six years at Bahrain Victorious after turning pro with them in 2020, during which time he has come close to major wins at the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, with the top spot eluding him. Wright won the British National Championships in 2023, his only elite win to date.
He has also finished in the top 10 of the Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix and Milan-San Remo, hinting the direction potential future success might come in.
“Fred is an intelligent rider," Q36.5's general manager, Doug Ryder, said in a press release. "He reads the races well and is very versatile. He has already achieved top tens in Monuments like Milan-Sanremo, Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix, and adding a focused classics block to his season will be a big objective for us together.
"He was close to wins in the Tour de France and Vuelta a España already, and I feel we can offer him the final step to win again. His engine is big and his attacking style is always great to watch. When we were looking for riders to strengthen the Classics team, he was quickly on our radar. He turned pro young and still is only 26, so I am really looking forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the next three years."
Wright's breakout year was 2022, when he finished seventh at Flanders, and then was a constant attacking threat at the Tour de France, finishing second in Saint-Etienne on stage 13. He followed that up with a similar performance at the Vuelta, where he finished second in the points classification.
Since then, he has continued his breakaway action as well as refining his punchy-sprint style; he finished second on stage two of the Critérium du Dauphiné this year.
"I have been part of this team for my entire career so far and without discrediting them and all the opportunities I had here, it’s time for a new environment after six years," Wright said. "Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team feels like a good fit for me. I have known Tom [Pidcock] and Mark [Donovan] for a while and the group they are building for the future feels familiar already."
"I do want to win again, naturally, and feel like a new environment with a fresh focus, new ideas and new people will help me achieve that goal," he continued. "There are opportunities for me in many races and after having done more or less the same race schedule for years, I am looking forward to discover new races too. I am here to help build the team but they are on a great trajectory already. The ambition is there and they will keep growing."
Wright is not the only British rider whose transfer was announced on Tuesday: Lewis Askey will move to Israel-Premier Tech from Groupama-FDJ for 2026. Keep up to date with all the deals through our guide to transfers.
