‘I want to show I wasn’t a one-season wonder’: Dati on beating Pidcock and his move to Astana

Tommaso Dati wants to prove his breakout season was not a one-off when he steps up to the WorldTour with XDS Astana next year. The 24-year-old won eight races for Japanese Contintental outfit Team UKYO and he signed a two-year contract with Astana in June.

The Italian’s first professional win came on stage 3 of the Coppi e Bartali in March, when he beat Mauro Schmid and Astana’s Diego Ulissi in a reduced sprint in Iseo, starting a season that exceeded all his expectations..

“It was a bit surprising. I worked really well in the winter and I knew I had a good level, but to win eight races in the season and get the other results was a surprise to me,” Dati told Domestique.

Three weeks later, Dati won the opening stage of the Tour of the Alps in Innsbruck. He held off Tom Pidcock in the sprint and took the leader’s jersey. Pidcock got his revenge two days later in Arco, where Dati was second.

“At the Tour of the Alps, it wasn’t only the stage and the level of the race. To beat Tom was the real deal. I even told him after the race that it was a pleasure for me,” Dati said.

That victory brought the teams calling, with several teams swooping around to secure the services of the 24-year-old Italian for 2027.

“After Coppi e Bartali, but especially beating Tom Pidcock, that was the real thing that brought the teams. Beating a guy of that level is amazing,” he said.

A month later he went to the Tour of Japan. He won the prologue in Sakai and stages in Kyoto and Iida, finishing with the points jersey. He said only two teams had shown interest before that race, and two or three more came after it.

“In that period I heard about Astana and other teams. After the wins there I had two or three more options, and in the end I had to choose,” he said.

For Dati, Astana’s style of racing was a big part of the decision. The team’s Italian riders next year include Alberto Bettiol, Lorenzo Fortunato and Christian Scaroni, and Andrea Bagioli arrives from Lidl-Trek, so it was a natural fit for Dati.

“They do a really good programme. All the guys in the team are stage hunters, so I think they work really well that way, and it suits me very well. They also have a really big Italian staff, which I think will help me,” he said.

“For me, it’s the first step into the WorldTour, and I wanted to take it a little more carefully.”

Dati joined UKYO for 2026 after two seasons at Biesse-Carrera-Premac. He previously had a spell as a stagiaire with Cofidis before landing at UKYO.

“I think Team UKYO is one of the best continental teams. As riders, we can’t complain about anything. Of course, with the budget, we can’t ask for the sky, but they always gave us the best bike possible and the best wheels,” Dati said.

The bigger change was his calendar, with Dati riding nine stage races across the season.

“I had to improve a lot in stage races. That helped me a lot, and it was the real improvement from the year before,” he said.

In October, he came close to his first one-day win at the Coppa Bernocchi in Legnano. He opened his sprint early and Noa Isidore came past him in the final metres. Orluis Aular was third, and defending champion Dorian Godon finished fifth.

“I did it with Cofidis the year before, so I knew the race suits me a lot. There were really good riders at the start, so maybe that was the most difficult one,” Dati said.

His season also included second place behind Jonathan Milan at the Italian road race championships and gold in the road race at the Mediterranean Games in Taranto in August.

Dati has not set specific targets for 2027 yet. He knows his first year in the UCI WorldTour will be a learning one but looks to emulate some of these strong performances from 2026 in the 2027 ProSeries, aiming for victories.

“I still have a lot to improve and I have to get a lot of experience in the WorldTour. But after a season like that, I want to win some races to build my confidence and show everyone I wasn’t a one-season wonder. This is the work of years,” he said.

“I don’t think in the WorldTour races, but at least in the ProSeries, why not? I did quite well there this year, so if everything goes well, I think I can do pretty well next year,” he said.

Dati also sees a potential road racing avenune to explore and that is the Ardennes Classics, which suit his profile. He has never raced the Ardennes Classics, but said their short climbs could suit him.

“They’re short climbs, short efforts and then a reduced bunch sprint. For me, it’s the perfect way to win races. So we never know,” he said.