Pidcock and Q36.5 receive another wildcard on top of their Giro spot, last year's stunt team 'extremely disappointed' by Vuelta selection

This makes the Vuelta the third and final grand tour to have its wildcards finalized. Earlier this week, the Giro chose Q36.5, along with Team Polti, Bardiani, and Tudor. Lotto gave up its starting spot in the Tour of Italy, which opened up an extra spot for the organization. Israel-Premier Tech will be using its starting right. Lotto and Israel-Premier Tech will be at the Tour de France, along with Tudor, Uno-X Mobility, and TotalEnergies.

On March 31, the UCI decided to award an extra wildcard to the three grand tours in 2025, meaning that the peloton will consist of 184 riders this year instead of 176. An exception, because in the new license period 2026-2028, the cycling association already stated the usual two wildcards will be given, in addition to the mandatory starting places for the two best ProTeams from the Team Ranking.

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The choice of Caja Rural and Burgos is not totally unexpected but surprising. Caja Rural has been there regularly in recent years, but Burgos was overlooked last year in favor of Equipo Kern Pharma. That team surprised everyone in the Vuelta a España by winning two stages with Pablo Castrillo and another with Urko Berrade. However, past results offer no guarantee for the future of cycling either. Equipo Kern Pharma will not be participating.

This is undoubtedly due to Castrillo's departure for Movistar, although Diego Uriarte surprisingly won another stage in the Ruta del Sol this year. Caja Rural, on the other hand, was already successful with Iúri Leitão in the Trofeo Palma. Burgos won a stage with Sergio Geovani Chumil in O Gran Camiño. Equipo Kern Pharma responded briefly: "We are extremely disappointed that we will not return to the Vuelta after what happened in 2024. Thank you for all your support and encouraging messages."

Q36.5 has won a wildcard, with Tom Pidcock as its star rider. After several years of riding the Tour de France with INEOS Grenadiers, the Brit can now look forward to the double Giro-Vuelta. The team has announced the second wildcard for 2025 through the official channels of Q36.5. Sports director Doug Ryder was nearly speechless. "I’m absolutely thrilled about this invitation. La Vuelta has been a key goal for us this year. With a strong group of Spanish riders and staff, the energy within our team is electric."

"Although this will be our first time competing in La Vuelta as a team, 15 of our 25 riders have experience in the race, with some securing stage podiums, victories, and even wearing the iconic red leader’s jersey. It is a tough undulating and mountainous race which suits us," says Ryder. Pidcock says he has big ambitions for the second Vuelta of his career. "It’s very exciting that we’ve received an invitation to ride La Vuelta! I haven’t checked all the stages yet, but I do know there is one stage finish in Andorra. That’s where I live, so it’s definitely something to look forward to. This year’s edition also features the iconic climbs of Angliru and Bola del Mundo. I did my first Grand Tour four years ago in Spain and have great memories of it."

Uno-X Mobility and Tudor did not receive a wild card, but it is unclear whether they wanted to apply for one in the first place.