Dainese has no teeth after severe crash, screws help with chewing: "People ask if I have a cleft lip"

After four years for Team dsm-firmenich, Alberto Dainese sought a new challenge. In 2024, he found it at Tudor Pro Cycling. The Italian was an absolute focal point with Fabian Cancellara's team. Still, thanks to Arvid de Kleijn's competition and a nasty crash in the spring, things went a little differently.

In 2025, Dainese hopes to win more than last season's single victory. He won a stage in the Pays de la Loire Tour in April. With help from Tim Merlier's former coach, he needs to change course. "Meanwhile, Erwin Borgonjon, Merlier's former coach, came to Tudor Pro Cycling,' Dainese said. 'I am fortunate to have an excellent reference point in him. He has trained the strongest sprinter in the world alongside Milan, so I think he knows a thing or two about it," he laughs to Bici.PRO.

This year, he was still working with Kurt Bergin-Taylor, a coach he brought with him from dsm-firmenich. What should Dainese do differently this year? "Not working out too many hours a week makes me feel fresher than I used to when I applied the Mamba mentality," he refers to Kobe Bryant's modus operandi, who always used to do more than was necessary. "Maybe it's good for basketball, but not for cycling because I always get pretty exhausted from training."

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Dainese won another stage in the Vuelta a España last year.

Dainese has screws in his mouth: "Not easy to chew"

A crash during training in February disrupted preparation considerably for the fast Italian. He injured his knee, but his face was also in bad shape. "I still have no teeth, and people always ask if I have a cleft lip," the 26-year-old sprinter explained. "Now I have screws in my mouth: a temporary bridge of four molars and incisors. It's difficult to chew because I can't use the front ones much anyway."

Dainese may be the fastest man at Tudor Pro Cycling, but he has stiff competition in the form of Arvid de Kleijn. The Dutch rider and the Italian have to fight out who the first sprinter is, but fortunately, the relationship is good. "I'm happy how things are going between us. I won't say we're friends because it's not easy. But we are friendly. We laugh and joke around. There is no rivalry, even though we never raced together and fought for the same finish. He's a good guy, he'll be 31 next year, and like Merlier, he started winning late."

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