Why Thomas Gloag opted to leave Visma | LaB and move to Pidcock's team: 'Ended up being an easy decision'

With Cian Uijtdebroeks, Attila Valter and Tiesj Benoot all heading elsewhere, Visma | Lease a Bike has seen several strong climbers depart. Thomas Gloag is one of them. After three seasons at WorldTour level, the Brit now chooses a ProTeam adventure with Pinarello – Q36.5 Pro Cycling. A step back, or a step forward? The 24-year-old explains his reasoning.

At Trinity Racing, Gloag was regarded as a major talent, and at Visma | Lease a Bike he occasionally showed why. But chances were ultimately scarce. “I had a fantastic time at Visma and there were some conversations about staying but they were quite clear on what they could offer me,” Gloag told Cycling Weekly.

In a team containing stars like Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert, Simon Yates, Sepp Kuss and Matteo Jorgenson, breaking through is difficult. “They have so many fantastic riders, and I think jumping across to Q36.5, a growing team that should race all three Grand Tours next year, was a better option for me.” Next year, Tom Pidcock’s squad holds a privileged position just outside the WorldTour. 

This means they will not have to fight for Grand Tour wildcards - something Gloag hopes to benefit from. At Q36.5, he will reunite with a familiar face: Kurt Bogaerts, his former Trinity Racing coach, who has joined Pidcock at the Swiss outfit. "Kurt stuck his neck out for me and that meant a lot. He and the people around him are really smart and it ended up being an easy decision.”

For many riders, joining Visma | Lease a Bike is a dream, as it was for a young Gloag. But due to injuries, his time there didn’t unfold as hoped. "The best description for it is up and down. The crash that took me out for a year wasn’t ideal, but it was the best place in the world to learn the ropes because at Visma you get a masterclass in how to be a pro cyclist."

He takes those lessons with him to Q36.5. “There’s so much emphasis on the latest cutting edge thing, but the reality is the sexy stuff that is exciting to read about doesn’t contribute to a significantly better performance. The basics are 95% of the sport. Visma are really good at the not so sexy stuff, and it’s been the best place to learn those characteristics and traits that have become habits and will hopefully set me up for a long time in the pro peloton.”

At the Killer Bees, Gloag transformed from an unpolished junior into a full pro. "When I went to an altitude camp with Visma in 2023, I was by far and away the worst rider. That’s probably because I’m not as trained as my age suggests – when I was a second year junior I only averaged 10 hours a week because I was more focused on school."

In three seasons with the Dutch squad, Gloag rode just one Grand Tour: the 2023 Giro d’Italia, which he finished. Despite decent results elsewhere, further opportunities never quite came. At Q36.5, he hopes that changes.

"I’d love to go back to a Grand Tour and it would be great to ride one at a decent level," he explained. "But I’m not bothered whether it’s the Giro or a Crystal Palace crit, the main thing I want to do is ride my bike fast more consistently and be at the front of races. The goal is clear: to be at the back less and at the front more.”