Having been hit with illness in recent months Sam Bennett has shown he's back on track. He was in the thick of the sprint on the opening stage of the Volta a Catalunya.
Alvaro Hodeg wins Catalunya stage 1 from Sam Bennett
Sam Bennett may have had a trying start to the season with illness, but he looked back in great form today in Spain.
Always on the hunt for victories in the sprints, Bennett had to be content with second place on stage 1 of Volta a Catalunya.
However, early indications are that he has recovered over the last couple of weeks and is ready for action once more.
The stage was won by Alvaro Hodeg; the 21-year-old Colombian riding for QuickStep. Bennett’s Bora-hansgrohe team mate Jay McCarthy rounded out the top three.
It was Bennett’s first race since being forced to leave Paris-Nice due to illness. He praised the team for its efforts on his behalf.
Advertisement
“What can I say, the team worked really well. I want to thank my teammates for the support the whole day.
“Due to illness I left Paris–Nice and now I am missing some race kilometres. I felt good today but I hadn't the legs to go for the victory. But I’m satisfied with my second place.”
Related News
Today saw the riders start and finish in Calella, with 152.3km to negotiate. There was a cat 3 climb crested just under 20km from the finish.
Bennett’s team was instrumental in helping to contain a five-man early escape. And it worked well for him in the final.
Stage 1 winner Alvaro Hodeg, who won the Handzame Classic on Friday, now leads overall. He has four seconds over Sam Bennett.
As a result of time bonuses, one of the day’s breakaway men, Andrey Grivko (Astana), is 3rd. He is another one second back.
Irish riders in Catalunya
Tomorrow's stage 2, 175km into Valls, features a cat 3 climb late in the day. With just 10km of a descent into the finish, it could be another stage to suit Irish sprinter Bennett.
There is plenty of Irish interest in the race, with Sam Bennett just one of four Irishmen riding.
Also in the field are Nicolas Roche (BMC), Philip Deignan (Team Sky) and Dan Martin (UAE Team Emirates).
Martin won this race five years ago, as well as taking a stage. He is looking for a big result with his new team.
Topics
