Sam Bennett chats to the media after winning Race Melbourne in a canter today. The Irishman will now target the Cadel Evans Ocean Race (1.UWT) on Sunday.
By Brian Canty
Sam Bennett has opened his account for 2017 with a classy win in Race Melbourne, a key warm-up event for Sunday’s Cadel Evans Ocean Race in Australia.
The Bora-Hansgrohe rider was far too quick for Danny Van Poppel (Team Sky) who took second while Scott Sunderland (IsoWhey Sports-SwissWellness) rounded out the podium.
It was comfortable for Bennett in the end and will be a big confidence-booster for him as he goes in search of his first 1.UWT win this weekend.
Today’s contest in the sun-scorched south Australian city was a 116.6 kilometre circuit around Albert Park.
Bennett made up for a couple of near misses at the Santos Tour Down Under with a rather easy win.
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“It’s great to get a win under my belt early in the season,” he said afterwards.
“I want to thank BORA-Hansgrohe for the nice race programme and having us here and their great support and also to the teammates.
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“The guys did a great job today supporting me. They kept me well protected all day and set me up perfectly for the finish.”
Indeed, Bennett made it look very easy in the finish as he simply cantered away from the rest of the field, one that included Caleb Ewan (Orica-BikeExchange) who won four stages at the Tour Down Under recently.
The race was 22 laps of a 5.3-kilometre circuit on the Australia F1 race track and as usual was dominated by a flurry of attacks in the opening stages.
But with nothing hilly to contend with it was always likely to favour a bunch sprint.
One group escaped in the early laps while another broke clear to join them approaching the midway point of the race and they pulled out a maximum advantage of a minute on the bunch.
But despite their best efforts they were reeled in by the sprinters’ teams who patrolled the head of the race, Bennett’s Bora-Hansgrohe team amongst them.
And the Irishman repaid their loyalty and trust with a devastating kick in the final 100 metres that nobody could match.
Also competing were the Irish-registered Aqua Blue Sport team, with Leigh Howard their best man and finishing 28th in the same time. Aaron Gate was just behind him in 35th.
Aqua Blue Sport and Bennett will now turn their attention to the Great Ocean Road Race.
The event will cover a challenging 174-kilometre course that takes in some stunning scenery both inland and along the coast before finishing with three-laps of a 20-kilometre street circuit in Geelong.
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