| With two brilliant weeks of racing at the Vuelta behind us, we headed into the final week of racing full of confidence with the aim of taking our Team DSM jersey to the top step of the podium again.
Week three got underway with a sprint stage where Grand Tour debutant Alberto Dainese once gain showed his speed to claim yet another top five finish of the race for the team - his fifth of the race. The following two days saw the GC contenders come to the fore to contest for stage wins, but not before the team gave it their all with a 60 kilometre attack from Michael Storer after a phenomenal team effort from Thymen Arensman. Michael’s efforts saw him defend the team’s KOM jersey, as he took the lead in the competition heading into the final stages.
Stage 19 saw a ferociously fought day where the team went all-in to try and set up Dainese for the finish, only to be cruelly denied by a strong breakaway that just held on to take the win into Monforte de Lemos. Dainese would “win” the bunch sprint behind for eighth, and despite not getting a top result on the stage, it was the team’s incredible spirit and commitment that shone through - making everyone proud!
The bunch went on to take on the finale open road stage of the week on Saturday, and after some brilliant riding Storer, Romain Bardet and Chris Hamilton made it into the day’s move. The team desperately tried their best to break free from the shackles of the peloton but a determined GC group caught them in the finale. Nonetheless, the team did enough to secure the KOM jersey, and Hamilton showed true fighting spirit by digging deep with the GC favourites for as long as possible to take sixth place on the ascent to the line.
Rounding off our Vuelta in style, the closing TT epitomised the team's efforts throughout the race with a brilliant third from Arensman and a strong fifth for Chad Haga. Great rides from Nico Denz and Martijn Tusveld, who both worked tirelessly for the team throughout the race, plus Storer and Bardet, saw the team end the day with six riders in the top 25 - a great way to end our race.
It then brought us great pride to see Storer standing atop the podium in Santiago de Compostela, resplendent in the King of the Mountains jersey. It was a real team effort to take that competition, with everyone riding smartly to secure the points where we could, and keeping the jersey in the team from stage 14 until the end of the race.
Thanks to everyone for joining us on our final lap of the year. It has been incredible to see all of your support not only on the side of the road here in Spain, but also all over the internet on social media. We see every one of your comments and it means a lot to us, helping to motivate the guys while out on the road! With the final Grand Tour of the year now complete, we hope you’ll follow us as we head into the autumn and the closing part of the road season - where we’ll keep challenging for more success.
Until next time,
Team DSM | 