Tom Pidcock capped off a perfect first race for new team Q36.5, surviving a chaotic final day in the crosswinds to take his career-first elite stage race GC victory at the AlUla Tour.
Stage 5 to the AlUla Camel Cup Track also saw the Brit's teammate Matteo Moschetti outsprint Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco AlUla) to cap off a perfect five days of racing in Saudi Arabia for the Swiss team.
Two phases of echelons forming in the peloton saw a big shake-up in the general classification, with pre-stage podium sitters Rainer Kepplinger (Bahrain - Victorious) and Alan Hatherly (Jayco AlUla) dropping to fifth and sixth, respectively, after missing the key split with 29km to go.
Uno-X Mobility made the difference in the crosswinds, splitting things up to drop Kepplinger and Hatherly so that their trio of Fredrik Dversnes, Johannes Kulset and Ådne Holter moved up to second, third and fourth overall.
Pidcock's eventual winning margin of 1:09 over Dversnes is the biggest in the race's history.
"To be honest, I'm a bit emotional. It's quite a fairy tale almost. To see how much it means to these guys is incredible, and to finish it off like that, it's unbelievable," said Pidcock.
"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 had stage race success before joining the elite ranks, winning the Tour Alsace and Baby Giro, but the AlUla Tour was the first multi-day event on his pro palmarès.
"As an U23, 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 said.
"The concentration it takes at this level to defend a lead every day, and this isn't a WorldTour race; it's only five days, I definitely realise how hard it is, but I think it's a big step."
Pidcock's schedule will not see him head to the Ruta del Sol after some weeks of training before racing at Opening Weekend in Belgium and then the Italian Classics.
How it unfolded
There were high speeds right from the off on the final stage of the AlUla Tour, with a furious fight for the breakaway ensuing once as the peloton rode away from the AlUla Camel Cup Track.
Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Emirates-XRG) and Aivaras Mikutis (Tudor) found themselves in front, with a duo of Jan Castellon (Caja Rural - Seguros RGA) and Ceriel Desal (Wagner Bazin WB) in pursuit.
Strong winds meant each change of direction was important, with full gas racing causing splits with over 100km to go. Pidcock kept himself towards the front in group one but there were early problems for Hatherly, who started the day in third place on GC and his sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, after missing the move.
The peloton had under 30 riders in it at times, but a chance of direction back into headwin saw everything come back together with 80km to go.
As things calmed momentarily, a new four-man breakaway formed of Desal, Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma), Nicolò Garibbo (JCL Team UKYO) and Mathias Bregnhøj (Terengganu), who built a gap of just over a minute.
The status quo was maintained in the peloton until the 30km to go mark, where a key right-hand corner meant the peloton was going to be exiting the headwind section and turning back into a crosswind.
Uno-X Mobility led the peloton in pursuit of the overall podium and immediately split things. Quickly, it became evident that the Norwegian team's plan was working, with second-place Kepplinger and third-place Hatherly both missing the front move.
They worked desperately to try and bring things back and save their top-three finishes, but couldn't make up the difference in the rapid run for home and ren-entry to the AlUla Camel Cup Track.
The lead-out was ramped up by Q36.5, Jayco AlUla and then UAE Team Emirates-XRG, but it was Alexander Kristoff (Uno-X Mobility), who hit the front first. Molano overtook him for UAE and moved into the lead, but he didn't have enough speed to hold off the charging Moschetti.
Pidcock crossed the line safely after paying back his teammates and helping in the lead0out for the Italian, capping off a perfect race with a third stage victory for the Swiss team.
Results
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