Enrico Battaglin sprinted to seventh in the seventh stage of the Giro d'Italia today in Alberobello. The Italian of Team LottoNL-Jumbo finished two seconds behind the fastest sprinters. Steven Kruijswijk finished 29th along with the other race overall favourites and lost no time on his rivals. Caleb Ewan won the stage and Bob Jungels remains leader.

The stage covered 224 kilometres through Basilicata and Puglia. Two men rode free, but the group had them back for the sprint finish.

"This was a nice day,” road captain Bram Tankink said. “It was a recovery ride, despite being on the bike for five hours and 40 minutes. It was not a fast race, but the final was that extra hectic because everyone was still fresh. Steven was in a good position when we went into the city and that was the most important thing."

The peloton sped through the narrow streets of Alberobello, known for its famous Trulli. Just before, the team made sure Kruijswijk was in a perfect position.

"It actually was not as hectic as it looked," said Stef Clement, who worked on the front. "If you try to arrive to the front too late, you just will not get there."

Battaglin, who placed sixth in stage two, benefited from the team work through the bends to hold on to the fast men and record a top 10.

Clement added, "Fortunately, we had Steven at the right moment in the right position because you see it was not easy to get in the front."