Team dsm-firmenich take another brilliant Vuelta stage win with Alberto Dainese

Always going to be a day for the fast-men of the bunch, Team dsm-firmenich positioned their finisher Alberto Dainese perfectly, who powered to the stage win in Íscar.

A controlled stage, the peloton always had the four rider breakaway under control and Team dsm-firmenich kept their proverbial powder dry for the final. Navigating some nervousness in the bunch, the team moved up well as a group, bringing fast finisher Dainese to the fore. Making sure they were in position around the last corner before the long final straight, the lead-out dropped off Dainese at the front. Opening up the afterburners, Dainese kicked hard and surged to the stage win in the sprint finale. Sitting up to celebrate as he crossed the line, it was a fine reward for Team dsm-firmenich after some great teamwork throughout the day.

“We did a super job,” explained an elated Dainese. “We looked back at the sprints that we did in the first few weeks, where we went wrong and what we can then do today, and we executed the plan perfectly. It was really unlucky to lose Sean and Max in the crash, but until that point they kept me in the perfect position and where we wanted to be. We knew it was a headwind in the finish so I let Ganna and a few of the other guys open it up early and then waited for my moment. I’m super happy to finish it off today. I really wanted to end the season and my time with the team in a good way; this feels really special because of that. I put a lot of pressure on it because it is one of the last sprints I’ll do, but it was great to take the win. I want to say thanks to the whole team; they did a great job today and this is for them.”

Team dsm-firmenich coach Phil West added: “Super nice to get the win today. The important thing was that we made the right steps and improvements from the previous sprint stages. The boys were super motivated as a group today to do that. Credit where credit is due, today they rode an almost perfect final. They were in the exactly right spots where they needed to be, made all the moves at the right moments and the communication was on a high level. Unfortunately, a crash in the final took out Max and Sean from the lead-out, but because of the work these guys had done then Alberto was still able to continue in a good position and go for the win. I think as a team we can be really happy with that one and we’ll continue in the last days here. Also happy to see that although they lost some skin and required stitches, the first medical checks at the finish would suggest there are no further injuries for Max and Sean.”