IRISH CYCLING FANS had something to cheer about as Carrick-on-Suir native Sam Bennett led home a winning 1-2-3 for the An Post Chain Reaction team on the final day of the An Post Rás.
Bennett sprinted home to take the stage victory, with his teammates Nicholas Vereecken and Shane Archbold, finishing right on his shoulder in second and third place respectively.
Polish rider Marcin Bialoblocki was crowned the An Post Rás champion after holding off late darts from nearest general classification challengers Connor McConvey and Rasmus Guldhammer. The Pole secured the yellow jersey by sticking close to the Chain Reaction cyclists and crossing the line sixth in the festooned seaside town of Skerries.
Sam Bennett claims victory on the final stage. (Credit: Sportsfile)
Speaking after the pageantry of the closing ceremony, Bialoblocki spoke of the “incredible” feeling it was to hold onto the yellow jersey for six days and ultimately take home the main prize. He said:
The Rás is such a tough race and my teammates worked so hard for me over the eight days so I owe this victory to them.
“There was a lot of pressure going into this final stage. it is important that I kept close to Connor and Rasmus throughout the day. If I crashed or punctured, it could have been lost so I am really happy it worked out.”
Czech rider Martin Hunal claimed the king of the mountains jersey, Owain Doull took home the green (sprint) jersey and Simon Yates was the best under-23 in the field. The county rider jersey went to Roger Aiken, who finished eighth overall in the GC.
