"To win after such a struggle is insane" - Alberto Dainese recovers from stomach issues to take Giro d'Italia stage win

Stage 17 of the 2023 Giro d'Italia was the perfect finale for Team DSM sprinter Alberto Dainese as the Italian sprinted to a brilliant victory. A win made even sweeter by the struggles he has suffered over the past few days.

"I've had a lot of problems with my stomach and also my breathing the last few days," the 25-year-old revealed in his post-stage interview taken immediately following his victory. “Today was the first day that I felt a little better. To win after such a struggle is insane. I can't thank the team enough for motivating me to stay in the race."

In a thrilling finale to a relatively boring stage, Dainese was involved a three-way photo finish alongside Michael Matthews and Jonathan Milan with the Italian taking the win by the barest of margins. "This is insane! The previous sprint stages didn't go great. We didn't do badly, but we didn't get any results," he says. “Today we rode a great final. Marius did a great job, and Niklas last as well."

"When Niklas waved off, I got a bit stuck by the riders to my left. I had to squeeze through a hole to get Matthews," he continues. "I was completely on the limit in the last meters. I saw Milan coming and couldn't really throw my bike forward because of the fatigue. In any case, it's nice to win with a few centimetres ahead."