Sam Bennett, second left, was unable to get amongst the gallop that decided today's third stage of the Tour of Oman. The Irishman crossed the line in 26th in the same time as stage winner Alexander Kristoff (Katusha).
By Brian Canty
Sam Bennett was unable to contest the bunch sprint that decided today’s third stage of the Tour of Oman, the Irishman getting squeezed out of contention in the final kilometre.
It was always going to be a stage for a sprint with just one notable rise in the road that took the riders 176 kilometres from Al Sawadi Beach to Naseem Park.
Bennett was one of the pre-race favourites but in a chaotic final he and his Bora-Argon 18 team were just one of many who had no answer to the strength of winner Alexander Kristoff and his Katusha squad.
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The Irishman will have another chance on Sunday’s concluding stage.
Dan Martin finished 1:10 back today, leading home half a dozen riders and he drops to 39th overall at 3:01.
He will look to tomorrow’s stage on Green Mountain as one he could potentially challenge for, provided he’s 100 per cent healthy and not obliged to work for teammate Gianluca Brambilla who is 24 seconds down overall.
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Elsewhere today, Nicolas Roche was on domestique duties for Team Sky; the Irishman getting in some more quality racing miles as he worked hard to try and set up the sprint that decided today’s second stage.
His teammate Ben Swift managed third in the gallop.
Team leader Wout Poels crossed the line in the same time as stage winner and new race leader Nacer Bouhanni (Cofidis).
However, there are 58 riders deadlocked on the same time and that is expected to change tomorrow as the riders tackle a hilly 157-kilometre stage from Monachil to Padul.
In the Vola Ao Algarve, Stephen Clancy had a tough afternoon as he lost over 24 minutes on stage two.
The Novo Nordisk man came home as part of a large group in what was the Queen stage of the race, won by new race leader Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana).
Tomorrow is a somewhat easier day as the riders tackle a pan-flat 18-kilometre time-trial.
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