Italian sprinter Alberto Dainese introduced himself to the cycling world in Shepparton yesterday.
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In winning stage one of the Jayco Herald Sun Tour, the 21-year-old secured his first World Tour stage win, edging out Australia's Kaden Groves and the Netherlands’ Moreno Hofland in a Welsford St classic.
The rising star helped himself to a plethora of accolades, taking the yellow, green and white jerseys for overall leader, sprint rankings leader and best under-23 rider.
“Of course it's a nice feeling, first stage, first win. We'll try to keep (the yellow jersey) for the whole week,” Dainese said post-race.
Dainese's strong Sunweb team hit the front with 5 km to race, forming a red machine down Mooroopna's McLennan St as the speeds ramped up, but 2019 Australian road race champion Michael Freiburg put the hammer down around the outside to try and grab control for ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast.
But the causeway brought carnage as the teams battled to set up their lead-out trains, the peloton riding four lanes wide before being forced to tighten up into two lanes with 2 km to go.
Mitchelton-Scott looked to bring Groves forward while EF Education First did the same for Hofland, while a patient Sunweb team played it patiently as the chaos continued.
The sweeping chicane heading off the causeway and into town saw many shuffled back, but Dainese — delivered to a dream position by teammate Max Kanter — in an explosive sprint flew down the outside and pipped Groves and Hofland.
“It was a wide road and we kept the front for a few kilometres, then it was a bit messy but then Max Kanter put me through the last corner in about fifth or sixth position so I could start my sprint,” he said.
“It was a tight one because already the first two guys from EF were at the front, so I had to close a little gap. It was tight in the end but I was happy I got it.”
Earlier, five riders — Charles-Étienne Chrétien (Aevolo), Connor Murtagh (Oliver's Real Food Racing), Ben Hill (Team Bridgelane), Jesse Coyle (Nero Continental) and Ryan Thomas (ARA Pro Racing Sunshine Coast) — broke away from the jump at Mitchelton, Nagambie, with their lead peaking about the three-minute mark.
The group did more than 110 km out in front but its lead was less than a minute with 22 km to go, however its feisty members did not want to go down without a fight.
With just a 20-second gap the group emptied the tanks to fend off the peloton, before Hill — who took the prize post-race for most aggressive rider — chucked his steed into big rig and went for home.
But he was merely delaying the inevitable as the peloton gobbled him up with 5 km to go, before Dainese found the legs to get the chocolates.
The Italian gave plenty of credit to his team for delivering him in a perfect position.
“It was not easy because we control the whole race, and then we took the front a bit too early, but then we were just the strongest I think today,” he said.
“I couldn't miss the win, and I'm really happy.”
Dainese rode the Tour Down Under last month and finished fifth in stage four, while he also finished an impressive third in Race Torquay.
“A good winter for me, and summer for the Australians,” he said.
“In the Down Under I sprinted twice for two top-10s, but it was not easy with the best sprinters in the world. So I had to practice a little bit with the fast guys, but I'm 21 so I can still improve the next years and see how it goes.”
The tour rolls on tomorrow with a 118 km ride from Beechworth to Falls Creek, where a mountain-top finish will see the yellow jersey contenders come to the fore.
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