"Now those critics have been silenced a bit" - Strong reaction to Tom Pidcock's AlUla Tour stage win

Tom Pidcock is back in the headlines and this time, it's for racing reasons. The double Olympic gold medallist triumphed on the summit finish of stage 2 at the 2025 AlUla Tour on Wednesday, taking his first victory since leaving the INEOS Grenadiers for the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team.

Following his victory, Pidcock's new teammates and inner circle have flocked to give messages of support and praise to the box office Brit. “Tom’s transfer was criticized by some. Now those critics have been silenced a bit,” says teammate Frederik Frison in quotes collected by Het Nieuwsblad. “I know this is not a small team. Most people in the peloton know that. Q36.5 has ProTeam status, but in terms of equipment and operation we are World Tour level. Tom is the leader we needed to take that step.”

Pidcock's long-time coach Kurt Bogaerts also had warm words as he emotionally addressed the media afterwards. "It was a difficult period," he explained whilst wiping away the tears in his eyes. "Today we thank the people who believed in us."

“During the training camp in December, we already emphasized that it was important to find a band quickly and that is going really well. We discovered that Tom is a funny guy, something you might not think from the outside," adds Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team leader Jens Zemke in conclusion. "He shows leadership: in the team meetings he says very clearly what he wants. And Tom brings extra professionalism. An example: during the training camp in December, we had a seven-hour training day. We are used to that with a coffee stop, but Tom didn't want that. 'No coffee stop, but taking water bottles and peeing from the bike. We do it like in the race.' That's how he already takes the entire team to a higher level.”