CYCLING:CONTINUING AN impressive showing by the riders of the An Post Grant Thornton Seán Kelly team this week, Sam Bennett finished sixth on the hardest stage to date in the Tour of Britain yesterday.
The Carrick-on-Suir rider, who is still just 21 years of age, made it into the crucial break when the peloton split approximately an hour from the end of the 146.9 kilometre stage to Stoke on Trent. A smaller group moved clear on the category one climb of Gun Hill, then another containing Bennett bridged across to make a break of almost 20 riders. Many key names were left behind, including race leader Mark Cavendish (Sky). He would lose almost 12 minutes by the finish.
Bennett rode cleverly, jumping across to a smaller, dangerous move when it went clear but then saving his energy when the others came back up. Stage winner Marc De Maar (UnitedHealthcare) jumped away inside the last seven kilometres and hit the line 15 seconds ahead; Bennett was fifth in the group sprint behind, thus taking sixth.
“I knew things could break up on the climbs, although it was the wind which was really doing the most damage. I just made sure I was in a good position all the time and when the first group got away, I followed the other guys across to it,” he told The Irish Times.
“In the last 20 kilometres, the wind wasn’t as bad . . . it was the climbs doing the damage. I was suffering, hanging on, but got a can of Coke from the team car and I think that sugar rush helped a lot.”
Bennett has a strong sprinting talent and knew that he could fare well inside the final kilometre. “Coming towards the end, I was sitting at the back trying to recover from the climbs. I didn’t chase anything . . . I wanted to save energy,” he said. “I didn’t expect the finish to be so hard – I knew it kicked up a bit, but didn’t think it would be so steep. ”
The result is his third top-nine finish this week and he is now up to a fine 11th overall, four minutes and one second behind the new race leader Leigh Howard (Orica Green Edge). Both Bennett, team-mate Ronan McLaughlin and Belfast’s Peter Hawkins (IG Sigma Sport) have shown good form and will aim to ride well on today’s sixth stage to Caephilly.
Meanwhile British rider Karla Boddy (High Wycombe CC) nabbed her third straight stage win on the sixth and final leg of An Post Rás na mBan in Sneem yesterday, beating Fiona Meade (Munster) and Louise Moriarty (Look Mum No Hands).
Denmark’s Kamilla Vallin (Reelight Bike Toyz) defended her six second overnight lead over Ireland rider Lydia Boylan, winning the international race overall.
Vallin’s team-mate Amalie Dideriksen won the IVCA Queen of the Mountains Classification, the Danish squad was best team and Meade won the Sneem Hotel County Rider Classification.
