Video: Sam Bennett beating world's best sprinters for Paris-Nice win
When he put the power down Sam Bennett was simply unstoppable in the final couple of hundred metres with the likes of Andre Greipel and Marcel Kittel all gasping for breath behind.
By Brian Canty
Sam Bennett took a masterful win on stage three of Paris-Nice this afternoon, blasting to a famous victory in the town of Chalon-Sur-Saone.
It was the first Irish stage win at the famous French race for 28 years and Bennett's second win of the season
He had won Ride Melbourne back in January, again beating some really fast men though he said at the time his form was not good.
Bennett ahead of a four-rider blanket finish for 2nd that included Kristoff, Kittel, Degenkolb, Matthews. Demare and Greipel are just behind in 6th and 7th. It was a quality top 10 and Bennett was the best.
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When it comes to Paris-Nice, Ireland has won the race overall eight times but one has to go all the way back to 1989 for the last stage win by the Irish.
Stephen Roche’s time-trial victory on the Col d’Eze was the last Irish triumph in the race to the sun.
But Bennett is trying to bring back the glory days judging by his current form and today’s winning sprint was the best of his career so far.
He came to the line with some of the world’s fastest men and surfed the wheels brilliantly in the final kilometres.
Watch how he swerves to the left of the road and locks onto Alexander Kristoff’s wheel before launching a devastating sprint that nobody could come close to matching.
Sam Bennett comes of age...
Un super sprint de Bennett ! / A great sprint by Bennett to beat all the other sprinters! #ParisNice pic.twitter.com/RRdX5lcFBc
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 7, 2017
Sam Bennett s'impose / wins the stage ahead of Kristoff #ParisNice pic.twitter.com/vx1e2Bcvao
— Paris-Nice (@ParisNice) March 7, 2017
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