It was a difficult day on the second stage of the Tour of Oman today for Sam Bennett but tomorrow's leg will suit him much better. Above, Fabian Cancellara takes victory.
By Brian Canty
Sam Bennett endured his most difficult day of the season so far when he crossed the line over 14 minutes down on the winner of today’s second stage of the Tour of Oman (2.HC).
The Irishman admitted his form wasn’t good today but he held on for as long as he could before being dropped out of the leading group on the first of the day’s two climbs from Al Hazm Castle to Al Bustan.
It was a long day for the riders in baking temperatures but Bennett told stickybottle he wasn’t too concerned about the outcome after the gruelling 195 kilometre journey.
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“I’m here to sprint, not to climb,” the Bora-Argon 18 man said.
“I tried to hold on as long as I could today but I couldn’t.
“I’m not too worried. Tomorrow is a day more suited to me.”
Sam Bennett's team is hopeful he can do the business tomorrow on a flatter stage in Oman.
The climbs came late in the stage so it was no surprise to see the main overall contenders wait until then to make their moves.
An early break featuring Jef Van Meirhaeghe (Topsport Vlaanderen-Baloise), his teammate Preben Van Hecke, Gatis Smukulis (Katusha) and Enrico Barbin (Bardiani CSF) forged clear early and pulled out a gap of over five minutes before being reeled in.
And with Tinkoff-Saxo driving the pace it was no surprise to see so many riders dropped.
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Only 18 riders emerged to contest the stage victory; Joaquim Rodriguez and Thibaut Pinot some of the biggest casualties.
The race split on the climbs, with many riders losing significant time and drifting out of contention.
Fabian Cancellara (Trek Factory Racing) was quickest up the final drag to the line, the Swiss powerhouse edging out Alejandro Valverde (Movistar) and Greg van Avermaet (BMC) in the sprint.
The other Irishman in the race, Philip Deignan, was on domestique duty for his Team Sky leaders, Wout Poels and Leopold Konig, but neither would make any real impact.
Neither were among the front group, with Christian Knees leading Poels home in a second group 46 seconds down, and Deignan supporting König to the line a further 26 seconds adrift.
Tomorrow’s stage takes the riders 158 kilometres on a route that starts and finishes in Al Mussanah Sports City.
There are no categorised climbs so a bunch sprint is the expected outcome, with Bora-Argon saying tonight they’ll be trying to tee up Bennett for the win.
February 17th to 22nd: Tour of Oman
Stage 2: Al Hazm Castle-Al Bustan (195km)
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing 4:36:46
2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team
3 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team
4 Filippo Pozzato (Ita) Lampre - Merida
5 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo
6 Julian Arredondo Moreno (Col) Trek Factory Racing
7 Rafal Majka (Pol) Tinkoff-Saxo
8 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha
9 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team
10 Cameron Meyer (Aus) Orica GreenEdge
141 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora - Argon 18 @14:46
General Classification
1 Fabian Cancellara (Swi) Trek Factory Racing 8:22:14
2 Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar Team 0:00:04
3 Patrick Konrad (Aut) Bora-Argon 18 0:00:05
4 Greg Van Avermaet (Bel) BMC Racing Team 0:00:06
5 Peter Sagan (Svk) Tinkoff-Saxo 0:00:10
6 Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team
7 Andriy Grivko (Ukr) Astana Pro Team
8 Daniel Moreno Fernandez (Spa) Team Katusha
9 Tejay van Garderen (USA) BMC Racing Team
10 Julian Arredondo Moreno (Col) Trek Factory Racing
141 Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora - Argon 18 @14:56
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