"This time it derailed": Dainese's sprint train faces tough times (and kangaroos!) in Australia
Cycling
Alberto Dainese's debut in Soudal - Quick-Step jersey was a discovery process. The sprint train's first crash test at Tour Down Under was therefore quite chaotic at times. In a sense, the results speak for themselves as Dainese finished 23rd, 38th and 30th. Far from what he had envisioned, but the biggest upset was awaiting on the final day of the race.
"Everything happened: most importantly, I hit a kangaroo," he told Bici.Pro. As comical as it sounds, the Italian himself wasn't exactly overjoyed as the rampaging peloton rapidly hit Dainese himself from behind, causing a violent fall onto handlebars. "I thought I'd broken something, because I couldn't breathe for a long time. Luckily, it was just a few bruises."
The 27-year-old sprinter joined Quick-Step after two years with Tudor Pro Cycling, having turned professional with Picnic PostNL in 2020 (then Team Sunweb). As the team's 3rd sprinter behind stars Tim Merlier and Paul Magnier, the Italian obviously hoped to hit the ground running as soon as possible to ensure his own share of opportunities. However the season preparation was not without issues:
"I wasn't coming off a great winter. In December, I had a fever twice. But this race was perfect for getting into shape."
Derailed train
There were ultimately four sprint finishes at this year's Tour Down Under, more than was planned. However two of them required a certain degree of versatility. Not quite Dainese's specialty.
"There were some sprints, but they weren't flat. For me, they were two turbulent sprints, in which I and we made the wrong interpretation, positioning, and tactical choices. But we're moving forward. It was certainly a good job of fine-tuning our legs."
Overall, Dainese sounds optimistic about his sprint train, despite failing on its debut. "This time it derailed," he admitted, further providing an explanation: "In the first sprint, I followed Fabio Van den Bossche, but before the last corner he punctured: his pressure dropped, and in that turn alone I lost 30 positions. In the second, we lost Casper Pedersen. In short, it's a work in progress!"
There is still more
One extra attempt awaits Dainese in Australia before return to Europe. The block of races has unfortunately shrunk as the Surf Coast Classic is most likely being completely cancelled due to wildfire dangers, but the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race could play out in many directions, including the one that would favor Dainese.
"Before leaving Australia, we'll do two more races down here."
Dainese then lists his closest appointments: "I should do the Vuelta a Murcia and Giro di Sardegna, but I'm a reserve in many races, so we'll have to see."
Number three
It's been mentioned before, but Dainese won't normally be Quick-Step's first nor second choice while planning the season goals. But how did Dainese himself get along with Merlier and Magnier?
"With Merlier, almost nothing, because he had knee problems, and I also struggled a lot in the January training camp coming back from the flu," he admitted that the two men hardly found grounds for a chat yet.
With the young Frenchman, he had spent quite some time with, and the Italian has only words of praise: "A phenomenon. Pure talent. He's young, but he has knowledge you wouldn't expect at that age. He wins both flat sprints and those where you have to hold on. He's perhaps the closest rider to Peter Sagan I've ever seen," he concludes.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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