Dainese sprints to fourth in ninth stage of Giro d’Italia

“It is a bittersweet fourth place,” Alberto Dainese said after stage 9 of the Giro d’Italia. He came close to a spot on the podium; however, he had to settle for fourth.

The 214-kilometer stage to Naples turned out to have a nail-biting finale. A sole escapee was caught by the rushing peloton with less than 100 meters to go. Dainese found space in the middle to launch his sprint, but competitors on his left were slightly faster.

Dainese was slightly disappointed after the finish, saying: "I hope we can improve the result for the next stages. I am happy, though, that I could secure a top 5 finish after some difficult stages this week."

The Giro peloton is up for a well-earned rest day on Monday, continuing the three-week journey through Italy on Tuesday. Stage 10 starts in Pompei and finishes after a long, steep climb at Cusona Mutri.