Tom Pidcock celebrates 'fairytale' victory at AlUla Tour for new Q36.5 team in Saudi Arabia

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Tom Pidcock had never won a multi-day elite level race but managed a maiden victory at the AlUla Tour in Saudi Arabia on Saturday afternoon. The former Ineos Grenadiers rider's success comes after he left the British team to drop down to a team who are not a full member of the UCI World Tour. Speaking after the win, Pidcock enjoyed a "fairytale" moment.

‘This is a big step in my career’ - Pidcock thrilled with AlUla Tour victory

Video credit: TNT Sports

Tom Pidcock celebrated a "fairytale" victory at the AlUla Tour, his first general classification win in an elite stage race.

Pidcock departed Ineos Grenadiers at the end of last year and drew questions when he dropped down to Q36.5, who are not yet members of the UCI World Tour.

However, Pidcock built on the success of 2024, when he won the Amstel Gold race, by triumphing in the five-day event in Saudi Arabia.

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"To be honest, I'm a bit emotional," Pidcock told Eurosport.

"It's quite a fairytale almost. To see how much it means to these guys is incredible, and to finish it off like that, it's unbelievable.

"Today, how we rode as a team. I didn't know any of these guys until December, and some of them I only met in January, so what we already do together and how we do it is incredible, actually."

Pidcock’s closest challenger was Uno-X Mobility rider Fredrik Dversnes but he finished 1:09 clear of the Norwegian, securing the biggest winning margin in the race’s history.

Pidcock receives AlUla Tour title after first win with Q36.5

Video credit: TNT Sports

The 25-year-old said that building on his single-day successes in previous years is a significant achievement.

"As an Under-23, I could do this, but it's taken me a while as an elite. To be honest, it's a big step in my career," he added.

"The concentration it takes at this level to defend a lead every day, and this isn't a World Tour race; it's only five days, I definitely realise how hard it is, but I think it's a big step."

Pidcock is set to return to training before he competes at Opening Weekend in Belgium, followed by the Italian Classic races.

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