Sam Bennett sprints to another result in Belgium; aided by strong Jack Wilson

Sam Bennett, second from right, gets third in the bunch sprint to place 10^th on the day

Sam Bennett (An Post-Chainreaction) has taken another good result in what he hopes will be a breakthrough season to the big time, sprinting to 10^th place in the Omloop Van het Waasland in east Flanders, Belgium, yesterday.

The 190kms of mainly flat action was run off in icy and breezy conditions, with the cobbled sections proving even more difficult than normal thanks to the elements. The first 90kms was characterized by some very aggressive riding, with a breakaway group finally going clear just before 100km was complete.

However, that was caught on the finishing circuit and at that stage a seven-man move went clear and was to prove the winning escape of the day. In it was the former Belgian national champion and An Post-Chainreaction’s veteran sprinter Niko Eeckhout.

The breakaway reached the finish in tact with Eeckhout just about being edged out for the win by Pieter Jacobs (Topsport Vlaanderen).

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Bennett was then led out by his team mate’s in the sprint from the bunch for eight place, and managed third in that to take 10^th on the day.

It was a good ride by the team, especially considering Eeckhout overcame two punctures and two crashes to get back into the peloton before getting clear in the winning move.

Irish teenager Jack Wilson, who is in his first season with An Post-Chainreaction after a couple of years riding with clubs in Belgium, rode a very strong race yesterday. He was active in a number of moves and when Eeckhout needed to be paced back on, it was Wilson who helped him. At the finish when Bennett was being led out in the sprint for the minor placings, again Wilson was there to add to the team effort.

Bennett will be happy to have bagged his third top ten placing of the season, though he knows he needs a couple of big wins if he is to progress onto bigger things for next year. And Wilson is beginning to look very comfortable at this level, despite being just weeks into his first campaign with the Sean Kelly-led outfit.