IRELAND’S SAM BENNETT has made it three in-a-row on the BinckBank Tour, with the 2019 national cycling champion claiming his third consecutive stage win in Belgium.
On Monday, the Carrick-On-Suir man landed his first win in the coveted Irish champion jersey on the first stage and after repeating the feat yesterday, Bennett made it a hat-trick today. It comes as the Bora-Hansgrohe sprinter’s 11th victory of the season.
It was a photo-finish as the 28-year-old pipped Dylan Groenewegen (Team Jumbo-Visma) to the line in the Eastern Flanders town of Aalter.
🎥 Footage of the last kilometer of the third stage in the BinckBank Tour, Aalter-Aalter. won by @Sammmy_Be (@BORAhansgrohe) in a very close sprint with @GroenewegenD (@JumboVismaRoad). #BinckBankTour pic.twitter.com/DVnC0eWUAi
— BinckBank Tour (@BinckBankTour) August 14, 2019
In doing so, Bennett made history, becoming the first ever rider to win each of the first three stages of the Tour.
“I was really lucky today,” he explained afterwards. “I tried to make the bike as long as possible in the final, it was was enough to get it. I’m really happy with that.”
🎥 Interview with @Sammy_Be after his stage win in Aalter in the third stage of the #BinckBankTour. pic.twitter.com/cP1Tpx0rY2
— BinckBank Tour (@BinckBankTour) August 14, 2019
Bennett’s 3:48:36 time over the 166.9km stage also saw him hold on to the overall lead with Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) 20 seconds back and Groenewegen third in the general classification.
After a gap in racing following his first national success in late July, Bennett is well and truly back to winning ways and enjoying a rich vein of form.
Each of these wins will come as confidence boosters ahead of the Vuelta a España, which starts on 24 August.
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