Today’s 182 kilometre route from Balatonfüred to Nagykanizsa saw a hilly start for the peloton, before a flatter finale with a sprint finish expected at the end of the stage. It was a fast start to the day, before a breakaway of seven riders established itself at the head of the race, with all Team DSM riders in the bunch.

As the kilometres ticked by, the advantage of those out front fell but they put up a valiant effort which forced a hard chase back in the peloton. Eventually the breakaway was caught at around three kilometres to go, and the team moved up well together to set up Alberto Dainese for the sprint finish. However, it was once again a hectic and technical run in with several twists and turns, which unfortunately resulted in some crashes in the peloton. As a result, the team lost each other a bit as the race charged towards the finish but Niklas Märkl and Dainese re-found each other, with Dainese in around tenth wheel through the final corner.

The twisting run in continued with some sweeping bends in the final few hundred metres, where Dainese launched a strong kick to the line against the barriers, having to check himself ever so slightly before coming around the outside and sprinting to a brilliant second place at the finish.

“It was a bit hectic again today,” said Dainese at the finish. “We tried to move up on the left at the corner at around two kilometres to go but we lost each other as there was a move in the bunch and some touches and crashes. I managed to find Niklas and he brought me forward but I then lost him again in the second last corner. I had to move up in the wind a little but was in a good position for the finish. When I opened up the sprint I had to brake a little which was a bit unlucky, but we’re getting closer and we’ll try again in the next stages.”

Team DSM coach Luke Roberts added: “Today started out with some undulating roads and a couple of longer climbs which saw quite a strong breakaway of seven riders go away. They got a lead of over six minutes but the peloton then put the break under control. It was quite a hard fight to bring the break back though, catching them only in the final kilometres. We worked to set up Alberto for the sprint again and it was an improvement from yesterday for the way it went for us. There are still some things we can do better but we could put Alberto into a position where he could sprint. Unfortunately, he didn’t have as clear a run to the line as we hoped for but he could still take home the second place for us. It’s a good step forward for us and hopefully we can take another step in the coming sprint opportunities.”