Alberto Dainese 7th in hectic sprint finish into Zaragoza

Always going to be a day for the fast-men of the bunch, Team dsm-firmenich worked to position Alberto Dainese for the finale, with the Italian fast-man taking seventh place in the chaotic finale.

A controlled stage, the peloton always had the two rider breakaway under wraps and Team dsm-firmenich kept their proverbial powder dry for the final. Navigating some nervousness in the bunch after the break was caught, the team moved up well as a group, bringing fast finisher Dainese to the fore on the wheel of Groves inside the final three kilometres. It was a big fight to maintain that place with riders surging from behind, as Sean Flynn gave one last push to bring Dainese into the front as they headed into the last 500 metres. Unfortunately, Dainese was boxed in on the left and couldn’t open up his sprint until late, finishing fast around several riders to take seventh place on the stage.

“It was quite an easy day and then in the last kilometres it was really hectic for the sprint,” explained Dainese. “We lost each other a bit at the left corner with five kilometres to go. I could then find Sean but in the last moments we were a bit boxed in at the sprint. It’s a pity because I believe we could have got a better result as it wasn’t easy to get a clear run for the finish. It gives me confidence for the next time though that I did have a good kick once there was the space and we’ll aim to do better next time.”

Team dsm-firmenich coach Phil West added: “It was a missed sprint opportunity today. We set out to pick up where we left off after our fateful attempt last time with the crash. We started in a good way and the communication and positioning was there, but at a certain moment we made some poor choices. We missed some communication in the deep final to get more out of today. It’s a disappointing day in terms of result as we had hoped for more, so we’ll reflect on how things went in the finale, talk between us on what we can do better, then aim to put that into action in the next sprint opportunities.”