Dainese breaks the spell in the city of the Tricolore

REGGIO EMILIA. Is called Alberto Dainese, he is a Paduan from Abano Terme He is 24 years old, the clean face of a young man who has made his dream come true. First stage won in the Giro, the most important race so far in his career. First stage won by an Italian in this pink race, a triumph, coincidentally, obtained in Reggio Emilia, the city of the Tricolore.

But, above all, the Venetian made a technical masterpiece in the sprint, showing power and shrewdness worthy of a great sprinter.

Very flat stage, the Belgian Dries De Bondt (Alpecin-Fenix) who dreams of the coup but is taken by the hungry group at the last kilometer. The Groupama of Arnaud Demare prepare the bang for the big time, Fernando Gaviria (Uae), anger of someone who wants to win the Giro again after years, he looks forward to overtaking. But he doesn’t reckon with Dainese. Spectacular.

Powerful comeback, overtaking also a Simone Consonni (Covidis) which aims to do the same. And victory. Net. Gorgeous. A figure taken from Velon, the bible of technological cycling: Gaviria reached a maximum speed of 75 km / h in the sprint, releasing 1,500 watts of power.

Dainese has done more. He got on the podium, found the bottle of Prosecco open to avoid trouble, but given his Venetian origin he would have gotten away with it, then he “melted”, first at the Rai “Process at the stage”, then in the press conference. Meanwhile, on TV he took the compliments of a great like Alessandro Petacchi and a fellow countryman like the brava Giada Borgato. Then she told. In order: a passion for basketball as a child (she still has a basket in the garden in Abano), she does not grow up, she throws herself into cycling because at her grandparents’ house she watches the races on TV.

«I started with ds Ciano at the Vo Euganeo cycling school, then Zalf Fior, Padovani and amateurs at Zalf». Talent, victories, placings.

«I ran for two years at the Academy in Holland – he explains -. I learned a lot there, as well as in Italy. They say our movement is in crisis, but instead there are talents and results ».

European champion in Alkmaar in 2019, he turned professional with the Dutch Sunweb, who later became DSM. “Two tough years – he continues – in 2021 a second place and two thirds”. And this Giro uphill, until yesterday morning in Romagna.

«I didn’t feel well and I shouldn’t have even sprinted, we were aiming for Kool. Instead Romain Bardet, our captain, piloted me very well and I made my dream come true ». The dedications are inevitable: “To all those who believed in me – explains Alberto – to my parents, my two sisters, my grandparents”.

Now he beats people like Gaviria, Demare (“I admire him very much, I know he’s French, but he is”), Cavendish. He took Petacchi’s compliments (“You’re only at the beginning, keep it up”, Alejet told him), he says he prefers spritz with Aperol instead of Campari, and who knows, with the great load of awareness with which he left the city of the Tricolore winks at the predictable sprint from home to Treviso, in a week. Thinking back to when at the beginning the races on TV at his grandparents’ house seemed only boring.

Small news in general: Richard Carapaz (Ineos) sprints to a flying finish line and gnaws 3 “, climbs to second place at 12” from the pink jersey Juan Pablo Lopez (Trek), who today towards Genoa will give space to the fugitives of the day and will get away with it.

a.simeoli@messaggeroveneto