ALULA TOUR 2025, PROTAGONISTS AND ITALIANS AT THE START: THE OFFICIAL STARTLIST

PROFESSIONALS | 28/01/2025 | 08:18
di Federico Guido
There will be 118 riders animating the AlUla Tour 2025, a race that will live primarily (but not exclusively) on sprint duels at around 70 km/h among some of the most powerful sprinters currently active. Competing for the three stages, which on paper are designed for fast wheels, will be Dylan Groenewegen (current record holder for stage wins in the event with 3 victories between 2022 and 2023), Tim Merlier (author of a double win 12 months ago), and Fabio Jakobsen (making his debut but with the 2022 European title, 5 stages at the Vuelta and 1 at the Tour already in his pocket).
Challenging this trio will not be lacking fierce underdogs like Arvid de Kleijn (a stage at Paris-Nice 2024), Juan Sebastian Molano, Pierre Barbier (Wagner Bazin WB), an unbeatable veteran like Alexander Kristoff, and the pair of Italians formed by Matteo Moschetti (supported in the Q36.5 jersey, among others, by Nicolò Parisini) and Alberto Bruttomesso (sprinter of Bahrain-Victorious, which also includes Nicolò Buratti and Andrea Pasqualon). Along with the latter, completing the Italian contingent present in Saudi Arabia are Thomas Pesenti (at his first with Devo of Soudal-Quick Step), Alessandro Romele (the only Italian standard-bearer in the XDS Astana Team), and the four representatives of JCL Team Ukyo (directed by Manuele Boaro) Andrea D'Amato, Nicolò Garibbo, Alessandro Fancellu and Simone Raccani, for a total of 11 Italians at the start, of which 7 are making their absolute debut in the event.
Among those who have already participated in the AlUla Tour in the past, no one has ever won a stage (an honor that has so far only gone to Simone Consonni, Jonathan Milan, and Niccolò Bonifazio) or won or placed on the general classification podium, a milestone achieved only by Davide Formolo in 2023 when he finished 2nd behind Ruben Guerreiro. Regarding the final ranking, with the defending champion Simon Yates (transferred to Team Visma Lease a Bike) missing, the fight is open to succeed the Briton in the race's roll of honor, where at the top, you can read the names of four different riders from four different nationalities.
Eddie Dunbar could therefore be the first Irishman in history to win the race, while Rafal Majka, Yannis Voisard, Frank van den Broek and Fredrik Dversnes (or Johannes Kulset) could bring similar joy to Poland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Norway respectively. Tom Pidcock, the big name of this edition by the specific weight of his palmares, could instead take the baton from Yates and mark the British double, thus beginning, in the best possible way, his new ambitious adventure with Q36.5, the team he joined after his much-discussed departure in autumn from Ineos-Grenadiers.

STARTLIST

Team Jayco AlUla

1. GROENEWEGEN Dylan

2. DUNBAR Eddie

3. GAMPER Patrick

4. HATHERLY Alan

5. MEZGEC Luka

6. REINDERS Elmar

7. WALSCHEID Max

Soudal Quick-Step

11. MERLIER Tim

12. BASTIAENS Ayco

13. PESENTI Thomas

14. VANGHELUWE Warre

15. VAN LERBERGHE Bert

16. VERVENNE Jonathan

17. WARLOP Jordi

UAE Team Emirates - XRG

21. MAJKA Rafał

22. OLIVEIRA Ivo

23. BJERG Mikkel

24. MOLANO Juan Sebastián

25. PERICAS Adrià

26. RAVBAR Anže

27. STAES Gibbe

Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team

31. PIDCOCK Thomas

32. AZPARREN Xabier Mikel

33. FRISON Frederik

34. LIEPIŅŠ Emīls

35. MOSCHETTI Matteo

36. PARISINI Nicolò

37. ZUKOWSKY Nickolas

Tudor Pro Cycling Team

41. DE KLEIJN Arvid

42. KOLZE CHANGIZI Sebastian

43. MIKUTIS Aivaras

44. THALMANN Roland

45. VOISARD Yannis

46. ZIJLAARD Maikel

Team Picnic PostNL

51. JAKOBSEN Fabio

52. DEGENKOLB John

53. EEKHOFF Nils

54. LEIJNSE Enzo

55. MÄRKL Niklas

56. VAN DEN BROEK Frank

57. VAN UDEN Casper

Uno-X Mobility

61. KRISTOFF Alexander

62. ABRAHAMSEN Jonas

63. DVERSNES Fredrik

64. HOLTER Ådne

65. KULSET Johannes

66. KULSET Magnus

67. WALLIN Rasmus Bøgh

Bahrain - Victorious

71. VAN DER MEULEN Max

72. BRUTTOMESSO Alberto

73. BURATTI Nicolò

74. ERŽEN Žak

75. KEPPLINGER Rainer

76. PASQUALON Andrea

77. STOCKWELL Oliver

XDS Astana Team

81. FEDOROV Yevgeniy

82. BASSET Pierre-Henry

83. GONOV Lev

84. KUZMIN Anton

85. ROMELE Alessandro

86. VINOKUROV Alexandre

87. VINOKUROV Nicolas

Equipo Kern Pharma

91. IRIBAR Unai

92. AZANZA Ibai

93. AZNAR Hugo

94. BRUSTENGA Marc

95. CARRASCOSA Pablo

96. ELOSEGUI Iñigo

97. URIARTE Diego

Team TotalEnergies

101. JEGAT Jordan

102. BONIFACE Lucas

103. DAUPHIN Florian

104. DELBOVE Joris

105. GRELLIER Fabien

106. LEROUX Samuel

107. MARCEROU Nicola

Caja Rural - Seguros RGA

111. GONZÁLEZ Abner

112. BABOR Daniel

113. CASTELLON Jan

114. DARDER Sergi

115. IBAÑEZ Javier

116. JOHNSTON Calum

117. SORARRAIN Gorka

Saudi Arabia

121. AL SHAIKHAHMED Ali

122. ALABDULMUNIM Azzam

123. ALFAIROUZ Jehad

124. ALHASSAN Jehad

125. ALKULAIF Alhur

126. ALMUHANNA Bader

127. JASSAS Ali

JCL Team UKYO

131. KOBAYASHI Marino

132. D'AMATO Andrea

133. FANCELLU Alessandro

134. GARIBBO Nicolò

135. KOISHI Yuma

136. RACCANI Simone

137. YAMAMOTO Masaki

Terengganu Cycling Team

141. ROSLI Muhammad Nur AimanBin

142. ABDUL HALIM MuhammaShahmir Aiman

143. BREGNHØJ Mathias

144. CAHYADI Aiman

145. DE BOD Stefan

146. EYOB Metkel

147. MOHD SHABRI Muhammad Haizam

Roojai Insurance

151. QUICK Blake

152. HOPKINS Dylan

153. MILTIADIS Andreas

154. PHONARJTHAN Patompob

155. RICHARDS Kane

156. SAENTA Tanawat

157. THIMACHAI Kongphob

Wagner Bazin WB

161. DESAL Ceriel

162. BARBIER Pierre

163. RENARD-HAQUIN Henri-François

164. REYNDERS Jens

165. VAN HAUTEGEM Leander

166. VAN ROOY Kenneth

167. WEEMAES Sasha