Tom Pidcock achieved something unprecedented in Madrid.
The 26-year-old secured third place at the 2025 Vuelta a España, becoming the first athlete to transition from Olympic mountain bike champion to Grand Tour podium finisher.
Even more significant: he accomplished this breakthrough with Q36.5 Pro Cycling, a second-division team competing against cycling's biggest budgets.
This achievement places Pidcock among just nine British male riders to ever reach a Grand Tour podium. He joins an exclusive group that includes cycling icons such as Chris Froome, Bradley Wiggins, and Geraint Thomas.
The Philosophy That Changes Everything
"It should be related to exactly what your training is, and it should be completely personal," Pidcock explained about nutrition.
"Unless it's every day with your training and then related to that it's pointless."
This philosophy represents a fundamental departure from traditional sports nutrition approaches. Truly adaptive nutrition that responds dynamically to individual training demands and physiological needs.
This mindset perfectly aligns with Q36.5 Pro Cycling's approach since their March 2024 partnership with Hexis, the intelligent personalised nutrition platform.
In professional cycling, where performance margins are measured in seconds, this collaboration suggests that strategic application of sports science and performance nutrition can help teams compete more effectively.
The Partnership That Redefined Possibilities
When Q36.5 Pro Cycling announced their collaboration with Hexis in March 2024, the cycling world took notice.
Here was a UCI ProTeam embracing cutting-edge nutrition technology as a competitive differentiator.
"We understand that every aspect of performance matters," explained the Q36.5 team. "That's why we are thrilled to team up with Hexis and harness their cutting-edge technology to enhance our team's performance both on and off the saddle."
Q36.5 Pro Cycling are implementing a fundamental transformation in how professional cycling teams approach performance nutrition. One of the sport's most critical elements.
The Science Behind the Success
"This transformation stems from our fundamental approach to sports nutrition. We've built our methodology around the scientific principle of carbohydrate periodisation – "Fuel for the Work Required."
Traditional sports nutrition often follows a one-size-fits-all approach. But research pioneered by Hexis co-founder Dr. Sam Impey suggests a more nuanced approach can deliver superior results.
Carbohydrate periodisation involves strategically varying carbohydrate intake based on training demands.
Low-intensity sessions utilise restricted carbohydrate availability vs high-intensity training with high carbohydrate availability.
The key is matching fuel to the work required – exactly what Pidcock described in his nutrition philosophy.
The Hexis Advantage in Professional Practice
Adam Plucinski, Head Performance Nutritionist at Q36.5 Pro Cycling, describes the operational transformation:
"With the help of Hexis, our cyclists know how much food they should consume – because the application calculates individual needs after entering training data."
"Of course, I could calculate all this myself, but it takes a lot of time," Plucinski explains. For sports nutritionists managing multiple athletes across varying training schedules, the time savings can be significant – calculate your potential time savings here.
"Hexis proves especially beneficial when adapting plans due to variables like weather-related race modifications or changes in training regimens. Additionally, Hexis aids in carbohydrate loading before races and in weight reduction efforts."
This represents the practical implementation of Pidcock's personalisation philosophy.
Rather than distributing identical meal plans, each rider receives nutrition guidance calibrated to their specific training load, competition schedule, and recovery requirements. Updated continuously as conditions change.
Dr. Sam Impey, Hexis co-founder, captured this significance: "It's been amazing integrating Hexis with Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team. Seeing how the platform has been able to help Adam provide personalised and periodised fuelling plans for each rider to optimise their training adaptations and maximise racing performances."
"Every athlete is unique and needs a unique fueling plan. Hexis is proud to help Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team achieve this for each rider every day."
Q36.5 Pro Cycling's success demonstrates personalisation's growing importance in elite performance.
Generic approaches – whether in training methodologies, recovery protocols, or nutrition strategies – prove increasingly inadequate at the highest competition levels.
The success celebrated in Madrid was anything but accidental. It resulted from vision, innovation, and the strategic integration of human performance with cutting-edge technology.
Interested in learning more about how personalised nutrition technology is transforming elite performance? Discover how Hexis is helping athletes and teams achieve breakthrough results through intelligent nutrition planning.
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