Matteo Moschetti claims the third stage victory in just a few days for Q36.5. After Thomas Pidcock's successes, the 28-year-old Milanese hit the target in the final stage of the AlUla Tour, beating Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla) and Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) in a sprint. The final general classification saw Pidcock's victory, who stood on the podium with Norwegians Fredrik Dversnes and Johannes Kulset, who displaced Rainer Kepplinger and Alan Hatherly, who were delayed today due to the wind.

THE RACE. The stage start, conditioned by wind, was immediately very lively with several riders repeatedly launching attacks to try and create a breakaway. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and Aivaras Mikutis (Tudor Pro Cycling) succeeded in this intent, finding the right timing to break away. Behind them, some attempted a timid reaction but were quickly pushed back by the headwind that favored the peloton's return. The pair continued, quickly putting several seconds between themselves and the peloton, where Uno-X Mobility and Bahrain-Victorious soon created an echelon, splitting the group into multiple parts. Those left behind included Fabio Jakobsen (Picnic-PostNL), Eddie Dunbar, Dylan Groenewegen (Jayco-AlUla), the white jersey Johannes Kulset (Uno-X Mobility), and the 3rd in the general classification Alan Hatherly (Jayco-AlUla), while in the first group, the green jersey Tom Pidcock and the 2nd in the standings Rainer Kepplinger kept good guard with their teammates. At the first intermediate sprint, Mikutis just managed to cross first before being reabsorbed by the group behind, which remained compact at 45" from the chasers. The drama wasn't over, as Kepplinger suffered a puncture and, losing the wheels of the first group, ended up chasing in the second group with almost a minute's delay. Up front, they gradually slowed down, and after several kilometers of pursuit, the group came back together after the second intermediate sprint. Despite this, tensions didn't calm down as Diego Uriarte (Equipo Kern Pharma), Nicolò Garibbo (JCL Team Ukyo), Mathias Breghnøy (Terengganu Cycling Team), and Ceriel Desal (Wagner Bazin WB) soon restarted. The four gained up to 1'10", but the sprinters' teams, having almost all their riders, had no trouble controlling them, keeping them within reach, and then swallowing them up before entering the final circuit, where Uno-X, Bahrain-Victorious, and Tudor tried again to create an echelon. The attempt succeeded, as Hatherly, Kepplinger, Dunbar, and Yannis Voisard (Tudor Pro Cycling) were caught off guard and ended up in the back, paying 57" from the race leaders, a gap that cost the first two their podium spots and the latter their top-ten positions. About forty riders remained to contest the stage, including practically all the top sprinters in the race: the battle among them, at the end of the endless straight of the Camel Track Circuit, rewarded Matteo Moschetti, who, finishing ahead of Groenewegen and Molano, raised his arms to the sky after 18 months. Q36.5 thus claims its third partial victory in five days and, with Tom Pidcock's general classification victory (1st ahead of the Uno-X Mobility duo formed by Fredrik Dversnes and Johannes Kulset), can celebrate a decidedly sparkling start to the season. For Italy, notable are Alberto Bruttomesso's 8th place stage finish (his third top-ten in 5 days) and Alessandro Fancellu's 8th place in the general classification (among the top ten in the order of arrival of the two challenging stages of the Saudi stage race).

STAGE RESULTS

1. Matteo Moschetti (ITA/Q36.5) - 3:32:00

2. Dylan Groenewegen (NED/Jayco-AlUla) - s.t.

3. Juan Sebastián Molano (COL/UAE Emirates-XRG) - s.t.

4. Alexander Kristoff (NOR/Uno-X Mobility) - s.t.

5. Yevgeniy Fedorov (KAZ/XDS-Astana) - s.t.

6. Florian Dauphin (FRA/TotalEnergies) - s.t.

7. Arvid de Kleijn (NED/Tudor Pro Cycling) - s.t.

8. Alberto Bruttomesso (ITA/Bahrain-Victorious) - s.t.

9. Sasha Weemaes (BEL/Wagner Bazin WB) - s.t.

10. Marc Brustenga (ESP/Kern Pharma) - s.t.

GENERAL CLASSIFICATION

1. Thomas Pidcock (GBR/Q36.5) - 17:26:25

2. Fredrik Dversnes (NOR/Uno-X Mobility) at 1:09

3. Johannes Kulset (NOR/Uno-X Mobility) at 1:12

4. Adne Holter (NOR/Uno-X Mobility) at 1:22

5. Rainer Kepplinger (AUT/Bahrain-Victorious) at 1:23

6. Alan Hatherly (RSA/Jayco-AlUla) at 1:26

7. Frank van den Broek (NED/Picnic-PostNL) at 1:26

8. Alessandro Fancellu (ITA/JCL-Ukyo) at 1:39

9. Diego Uriarte (ESP/Kern Pharma) at 1:51

10. Jordan Jegat (FRA/TotalEnergies) at 1:58

OTHER JERSEYS

Points Classification: Thomas Pidcock (GBR/Q36.5)

Combativity Classification: Jens Reinders (BEL/Wagner Bazin WB)

Young Rider Classification: Johannes Kulset (NOR/Uno-X Mobility)