Alberto Dainese delighted to "end my time with DSM in a good way" after stage 19 victory at La Vuelta

Alberto Dainese and Team DSM-Firmenich will be parting ways at the end of the season as the Italian seeks a new challenge with the Tudor Pro Cycling Team. What better way to end a successful pairing than with a Vuelta a Espana stage win?

"We did a super job. We were looking back to the other sprints to see what we did wrong. And today we delivered," Dainese, who has a growing reputation of waiting until the final week of Grand Tours to show off his best form, told La Vuelta in a post-stage interview. "I was unlucky to lose two teammates in the crash but they delivered me in the perfect position, where I wanted to be, and I’m super happy to finish such hard work this way."

The aforementioned crash saw Kaden Groves ruled out of the running in the finale with Dainese's strongest opposition coming from Filippo Ganna. In a tight finale, it was perhaps the bunch sprint experience advantage that Dainese has that proved vital as he took the win on the throw to the line.

"It’s really nice. I really wanted to end the season in a good way and also to end my time with DSM in a good way. This is special," he concludes. "Today I felt a lot of pressure because I knew it was almost the last opportunity for the sprint. Yesterday, we were speaking [with Filippo Ganna] in the gruppetto about sprinting and now I’ve done it."