Since joining Team DSM, Bardet "has developed into a better cyclist" says Matt Winston

Team DSM's DS Matt Winston is leading the team out on the road at the Giro d'Italia, and he is positive in the team's ambitions to seek out further results besides the stage win of Alberto Dainese.

Winston has told in an interview with Wielerflits that the performance so far at the Giro d'Italia comes as no surprise: "We are in good shape. We have been working towards this period since the winter... We knew after the Tour of the Alps that we were on the right track," he said. "Our experts have prepared our riders in a very good way through altitude training courses and the preparation races for this Giro. Blockhaus was a confirmation for us of where we stand."

With Romain Bardet presenting himself as a contender for the victory at the Giro d'Italia, it is a confirmation that his move to DSM has been a breath of fresh air and motivation to the Frenchman's career, who looks as strong as in the 2016 and 2017 Tour de France where he finished twice on the podium.

"We know how important the last week is. It's important that we stay healthy and roll well through the next stages, right up to Sunday's mountain stage [with a summit finale in Cogne], Winston said. The Giro d'Italia peloton has been riding relatively conservative until today, with the summit finish at Blockhaus the exception as the 31-year old climbed to a second place.

He's made it clear that it is still an open race after the opening week, and that "just taking into account the first six on Blockhaus would be wrong." With the Top10 separated by just 1:22 minutes at the start of stage 13, the differences are relatively small taking into consideration the toughness that the peloton will have to face in the coming week. "But it's still a big three-week race. Everyone will have a bad day in a Grand Tour... We just hope that when that day comes, it won't have too much of an impact on where we are now," he stressed.

"Since joining our team, Romain has given himself completely to our way of working. He is part of the story in which we work with experts and the coaching staff. You also see that Romain has developed into a better cyclist in the last eighteen months. All credit goes to him as he works very closely with the team," Winston pointed out.