Building on strong results and teamwork during the opening stages, Team DSM end Tour of the Alps in style, claiming the GC crown with Romain Bardet, while Thymen Arensman takes third place and the best young rider’s jersey; after riding superbly as a unit over the mountainous terrain and through grizzly conditions.

The team were attentive and sharp from the start of today’s final stage, infiltrating the early breakaway with Marco Brenner and taking the pressure off the rest of the team in the peloton. As the kilometres ticked by and the rain lashed down, the front group broke up and it became clear that the the remnants of the break would fight for the stage win. Riding cohesively as a unit, the team remained focused on positioning Bardet and Arensman as best as possible for the last steep classified climb. Drilling it from the bottom, the Team DSM duo managed to power clear of all but one rider, Storer, as they crested the ascent. Giving one hundred percent and fully committed to each other, Arensman and Bardet pressed on during the descent and flat valley roads before the final 800 metre long hill. Bardet then took to the front, pushing all the way to the line before looking over his shoulder to celebrate with a fervently joyous Arensman, as the team lauded a brilliant first and third on GC, plus the white jersey win, after what was an incredible and resolute performance from all of the guys throughout the week.

Speaking after the finish a joyous Bardet smiled: “What can I say? It just felt like textbook cycling today, all of the guys rode amazingly well. We wanted to go all-out on that last climb to go for the GC, and the guys positioned us well. We were up there with Thymen and I in a group of there which was a perfect situation for us and we just pushed to the finish. It was such a nice reward to also have the two of us on the final podium in the end. It’s been a great week with the guys!”

Team DSM coach Matt Winston added: “The guys did really good and Marco covered the break in a good way. We had the plan to try and make a move on that last climb. The boys rode really strongly on that last climb and got the gap. We showed fantastic teamwork, really committed to each in the valley and it brought us the victory at the end. Overall, it’s been some really nice teamwork all round this week by the guys and we’ve made some good steps here.”