Rarely has a victory been as timely as Alex Doucet's victory Saturday on stage 8 of the Giro d'Italia. The British racer single-handedly pulled off the biggest victory in the Israeli Startup Nation's seven-year history as a team.

The victory for Dowsett, who will not have a team until 2021 and will soon become a father, also has personal significance for the British rider as he looks to continue his career on the World Tour. By winning a stage at the Italian Grand Tour for the second time in his career, the 32-year-old has undoubtedly entered the de facto "store window" for teams looking for riders.

Given the immediate and considerable increase in his profile thanks to Saturday's victory, the British time trial champion and former UCI hour record holder said after the finish, "My contract expires in 2020, so my biggest emotion at the finish was not joy but relief! It's a bit of a shame," he recalled sarcastically.

"But when I look back on this win, I'm sure I will think it was an incredible experience."

Dowsett, who was part of a six-man break for a day before breaking away with around 18 km to go, repeatedly thanked teammate Matthias Brandl for his help, saying, "It was very important that he was there, it could have gone either way.

"And to fight for this win is a big step up for the team. Every day we have been working on a plan to win. Today it was a pretty loose plan, but it worked out."

He also thanked sport director Nikki Sørensen for encouraging him and Brundle to get back on track with the rest of the field on the first of two uphills.

"When we were dropped, he kept encouraging us and telling us it wasn't over yet. Matthias and I went on the attack and won as me.

Dowsett, a soon-to-be father, feels very fortunate to be a motorcycle rider, but his current predicament of being out of work in 2021 did not keep him calm during the Giro.

"It's a great honor to be able to call this my job. We race pushbikes for a living, but it's my job," Dowsett insisted.

"But the worry of having a baby and the possibility of not being able to deliver made the whole thing very stressful. So this win was a huge relief. Hopefully we'll be able to secure something for next year."