Simultaneous to our World Tour stage racing in France at Paris-Nice, the team was also in action in Italy for Tirreno Adriatico. A testing parcours awaited the bunch, with days for the sprinters, days in the punchy hills with numerous muros, and one brutally tough mountain stage – it was set to be a hard week of racing. The team arrived at the race with a plan, to go with Alberto Dainese in the sprint finishes, and on the rolling terrain go for results with Thymen Arensman and Romain Bardet; the latter of whom was returning from a recent sickness.

Stage 1: Lido di Camaiore to Lido di Camaiore (13.9 kilometres TT)

The race got underway with the traditional time trial in Lido di Camaiore but instead of it being team-based, this year saw the riders take on the clock for an individual effort. With a pan flat course, the key to the stage was all about a good pacing plan and measuring the effort into the headwind and tailwind sections. Thymen Arensman was the team’s best finisher on the day, taking a very strong sixth place.

Thymen said: ”The pacing plan for today was super and I could really push, the legs felt really good and I had a very strong finish. It’s nice to start the race like this! We are all super motivated to make this week a success with lots of opportunities for us in the coming days.”

Stage 2: Camaiore to Sovicille (219 kilometres)

After putting the pressure on over the climbs in the finale, some bad luck cost us our chance of going for a result in the sprint with Alberto Dainese who suffered a mechanical in the closing kilometre. The guys are super motivated to give it another good go tomorrow in what looks like a stage for the sprinters again.

Speaking after the stage Alberto concluded: “It was a long day and in the final we had some climbs. We had Chris up there on the front to put some pressure on the other guys and we managed to drop a few but it came back together for the final. In the last kilometre the guys dropped me in a good position but I had some bad luck with a mechanical so I couldn’t sprint for a result. Tomorrow we will try again.”

Stage 3: Murlo to Terni (170 kilometres)

It was a punchy day over the Italian hills which despite the best efforts from some attackers came down to a bunch sprint finish. Working well together, the guys initially moved up well but coming into the hectic finale they lost each other a bit and Alberto Dainese wasn’t able to sprint for a top result. Tomorrow sees the race head to some more challenging climbs and a hill-top finish.

Alberto said: “We did well early in the stage to be in the front. Then in the final we tried our best to get a good position in the last kilometre but we missed that little bit and we couldn’t go for a top result in the end.”

Stage 4: Cascata delle Marmore to Bellante (202 kilometres)

On the charge with Chris Hamilton in the break, we looked to put pressure on the other teams and see if those out front could fight for the stage win. However, the bunch kept things under control and once Chris was back in the bunch, he and the rest of the guys did well to set up Romain Bardet and Thymen Arensman for the finale. On the climb to the line Romain put in a probing attack but he was quickly brought to heel by a determined bunch, before he and Thymen fought all the way to the finish, with Thymen moving up to fourth place on GC.

Speaking after the finish Thymen expressed: “Today was a tough stage but a really good day for us. We had the plan to send some guys up the road as we knew it would be a hard start. Chris was in there which was really good, as he could have went for the stage if the break stayed away but in the end they were caught. We worked well together and the guys did a really good job positioning me and Romain, which was super nice. The race almost exploded on the first climb but me and Romain stayed close to the front. Chris dropped back from the break and positioned us for the final climb where it was just a case of pushing to the line. I’m really happy with my performance. I know that this climb is maybe a bit too short for me, I really like longer efforts and this one was a bit too punchy for me. Some guys here are more explosive than me but it’s not something to worry about. Overall we’re happy with the day and we’ll see what the coming stages bring.”

Stage 5: Sefro to Fermo (155 kilometres)

Fighting all the way to the line on the punchy finish, Romain Bardet and Thymen Arensman brought us home alongside the other GC riders in the reduced bunch, with Romain claiming a solid 12th place on the stage. With some time gaps over others, Thymen also moves up to third on GC ahead of tomorrow’s tough mountain test!

Romain concluded: “It was a pretty good stage for us. For the final we together in a good way and in a nice position with Thymen. I was always trying to keep an eye on Thymen as he’s in a nice position on GC and has strong legs, so I wanted to keep the overview to try and help him. In the final we were amongst the best so I think overall it was a pretty good day.”

Stage 6: Apecchio to Carpegna (215 kilometres)

Fighting well as a unit all day, the guys dropped Thymen Arensman and Romain Bardet off in a great position as the challenging final climb (which the bunch tackled twice) began to bite. As other riders dropped, the Team DSM duo hung on in the reduced GC group over the first ascent, before the screw was turned once more during the second ascent. Suffering but never giving up, Romain and Thymen worked brilliantly together to limit their losses, with Romain going all-in for him. In the end the duo finished a very solid tenth and 11th on the stage, with Thymen holding onto that GC top ten in a brilliant sixth place.

Thymen expressed: “It was the queen stage and it was a really hard and long day, with a super tough climb we had to do twice. In the beginning the guys did a great job covering moves and making sure that it was an ok break that went. During the stage they also made sure that Romain and I had everything we needed, and kept us in a good position so it was a good job by the team. On the really hard climb Chris stayed with us for as long as he could and from there it was pure suffering, fighting to the finish. I cracked a little bit on the last climb but Romain stayed with me which was really special. We went really fast on the descent and in the valley, and fought all the way to the finish. I think we can be really happy with the teamwork we showed, our 10th and 11th places on the stage and the 6th on GC.”

Stage 7: San Benedetto del Tronto to San Benedetto del Tronto (159 kilometres)

The final day of racing saw the peloton tackle a stage for the fast-men of the bunch. Committing fully to setting up Alberto Dainese for the finale, Chris Hamilton and Martijn Tusveld worked tirelessly to ensure the breakaway was controlled. Heading into the closing kilometres the team did well to move up together, with last-man Nikias Arndt shepherding Alberto into a good wheel at one kilometre to go. On the twisty and technical run-in it was a fight for position, with Alberto launching a powerful sprint, charging past several riders to claim a strong fifth place on the line. With no gaps on GC, Thymen Arensman ended the race in a brilliant sixth place overall for the team.

Alberto said: “It was the last day of Tirreno and we really wanted the race to finish in a sprint. We controlled it with Martijn and Chris, and it was really nice to see the guys riding like that for me. The feeling was good after a hard week and a tough stage yesterday. In the finish Nikias did a good job and I could find a space to go for the sprint in the last few hundred metres. I couldn’t fully overtake everyone but it was a nice top five and it’s a good way to end the race and gives us confidence for the next sprints.”

Reflecting on the race as a whole:

Thymen concluded: “I think in general it was a really great week. We were really good as a team and everyone was really committed which was super nice. It was also nice that I could start the race off with a good TT and in the end that helped formed my GC position. In general, through the week I learned a lot as well with my positioning, descending and riding with the team. Also, the experience of riding a GC with the team was very nice and hopefully that will help us in the future as we aim to keep improving and getting better.”

Team DSM coach Matt Winston added: “I think it’s been a good week when we reflect on it now. We’ve had a sixth place on GC and finished well in the sprint today. For sure we have worked hard throughout the week. We’ve been critical on ourselves after the stages, we looked at where we could improve and be better and I think through the week we’ve really grown as a team. We’ve started to do some nice things in the second half of the race where we showed commitment to each other and the goals. Overall we ended the week in a good place and I’m happy with that.”