Giro d'Italia 2023: Alberto Dainese darts to thrilling Stage 17 sprint victory as Mark Cavendish fades

It was a glorious day for Alberto Dainese (Team DSM) as he recorded a thrilling victory on Stage 17 of the Giro d'Italia — his home Grand Tour — on Wednesday afternoon. It may have been a largely uneventful day with a long, patient build-up to the inevitable bunch sprint finish climax, but the fans were eventually given the finale they were after.

Ad Thomas, who held an 18-second lead in the general classification heading into the day's racing, managed to retain the pink jersey. Giro d'Italia'It's just a sprint!' — Cavendish feeling no pressure at final Giro5 HOURS AGO Cavendish, who told Eurosport it was «just a sprint» in a very relaxed manner prior to the start of the day's racing, faded in the final stages as Jonathan Milan (Bahrain-Victorious) came in second.

More to follow… — — - Stream the 2023 cycling season live and on-demand on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com. Giro d'Italia'The GOAT' – Blythe and McEwen laud 'phenomenon' CavendishYESTERDAY AT 11:11 Giro d'ItaliaThomas pays tribute to 'greatest sprinter of all time' Cavendish ahead of retirementYESTERDAY AT 19:51