2022 Giro d’Italia – Stage 11 – Highlights
Report
Navigating a nervous stage fraught with crosswind danger Team DSM set up fast finisher Alberto Dainese for the bunch gallop into Reggio Emilia, with the Italian producing a brilliant kick to surge past his sprint competitors and taking an incredible win for the team on stage 11.
The team set out with two goals for the stage; keeping GC contender Romain Bardet safe in the potential crosswinds and setting up a fast finale. With goal one ticked off after some superb and attentive riding throughout the day, all eyes within the team switched to delivering Dainese into the best possible position. Fast speeds made for an intense and hard finale, but the team worked well as a unit, peeling off one-by-one with Bardet acting as last man and giving his everything to drop Dainese in a good position around the final corner. From there, Dainese unleashed some incredible horsepower, kicking on the pedals and surging past the opposition, sitting up to celebrate his first ever Grand Tour stage win and Team DSM’s first this year.
“It feels amazing, it’s a stage in the Giro,” beamed a jubilant Dainese. “Anywhere would be amazing but especially being so close to home it’s something incredible. I can’t believe it happened, I’m super happy. This morning the plan was to go for Cees in the sprint but we swapped on the run-in as he said he didn’t feel so good. I just tried to stay relaxed and follow the guys as best I could, they did a great job. It’s insane that Romain who’s sitting third on GC gave me a lead out into the last corner. That shows how much we really work as a team. In the sprint I was a bit boxed in, in the middle, but then I found a gap on the left and went to the line and could come past everyone. I’m just so happy to take the win for the team.”
Team DSM coach Matt Winston added: “I’m very happy. It was full stress all day and the guys really looked after each other. We kept a focus on the GC but also on the sprint in the finish, so it’s great to see the guys pull off the win at the end. We were prepared for a hectic day and kept the focus all day long. We kept talking to each other in the final, asking each other where we were, pushing each other; I think it was a really nice final by the guys. For Alberto, he’s been desperate seeking that win. He’s kept with the process though and kept with the team, and we’re super happy to see him get the victory.”