Sam Bennett made a successful return to racing at the Arctic Tour of Norway this weekend having not competed since the Tour de France last month. The Bora-Argon 18 man won a stage last Friday and finished runner-up overall in the points classification.
By Brian Canty
Sam Bennett rode a superb final stage of the Arctic Tour of Norway today, getting into the breakaway in a bid to take the points classification jersey from overnight leader Alexander Kristoff.
The Bora–Argon 18 man started the 160-kilometre final stage from Narvik to Narvik one point behind the Katusha man but when the Irishman failed to take any points at the first sprint of the day he took matters into his own hands.
He showed impressive form and maturity to make the decision to jump across to the escape because Kristoff took maximum points at the first sprint while another Norwegian, Edvald Boassen Hagen (MTN-Quebeka) was lurking with intent in third.
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Bennett would take maximum points at that second sprint, ahead of Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) and Maxime Can (Bretagne-Seche Environment) and that brought him back to within a point of Kristoff.
Alas, he never managed to challenge for anything at the third and final sprint of the day as he had become distanced from the peloton by the time it arrived.
The effort it took for him to jump across and stay in the break for as long as he did took a considerable toll on him and he crossed the line in 46th, over seven minutes down on stage winner Silvan Dillier (BMC Racing Team).
The stage featured three categorised climbs, two of which came on the finishing circuit and Bennett, during his time in the break, actually managed to take a couple of points on one of these with around 30k to go.
But he was back in the bunch as the chase ramped up in the final 20 kilometres and unfortunately for him, he was caught on the wrong side of a split in the bunch and never managed to regain contact with the field.
Dillier was part of a four-man escape that went clear with around 20 kilometres to go.
Eventual winner Rein Taaramae (Astana), his teammate and fellow Estonian Tanel Kangert and Ilnur Zakarin (Katusha) were also there.
Dillier was instructed not to work as his teammate Ben Hermans was clinging to the race lead by a mere seven seconds from Taaramae.
But the latter, with the help of Kangert really pushed on, extending the lead to around 50 seconds.
Zakarin trailed Hermans by 41 seconds and Taaramae by 34 seconds so he tried his luck with 7.5 kilometres to go but he was reeled in by the remaining three out front before the finish.
Dillier was the freshest of the lot and took the stage win with Zakarin taking second from Taaramae, the latter winning by two seconds overall from Dillier with Zakarin rounding out the podium for third.
Results, Arctic Tour of Norway
Stage 4, Narvik-Narvik, 160k
1 Silvan Dillier, BMC Racing Team, in 3:35:18
2 Ilnur Zakarin, Katusha, at s/t
3 Rein Taaramae, Astana, at @2secs
4 Sven Erik Bystrom, Katusha, @40secs
5 Rasmus Guldhammer, Cult Energy, @42secs
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6 Antwan Tolhoek, Tinkoff-Saxo, @s/t
7 Odd Christian Eiking, Team Joker, @s/t
8 Anthony Turgis, Cofidis, Solutions Credits, @s/t
9 Mathias Frank, IAM Cycling, @ s/t
10 Edvald Boassen Hagen, MTN-Quebeka, @s/t
48 Sam Bennett, Bora-Argon 18, @7:24
100 Stephen Clancy, Novo Nordisk, @16:14
Final General Classification
1 Rein Taaramae, Astana, in 16:42:02
2 Silvan Dillier, BMC Racing Team, @8secs
3 Ilnur Zakarin, Katusha, at 31secs
4 Edvald Boassen Hagen, MTN-Quebeka, @1:02
5 Mathias Frank, IAM Cycling, @1:04
6 Odd Christian Eiking, Team Joker, @1:17
7 Rasmus Guldhammer, Cult Energy, @1:19
8 Anthony Turgis, Cofidis, Solutions Credits, @ 1:31
9. Ben Hermans, BMC Racing Team, @ 1:33
10. Marcel Wyss, IAM Cycling, @ 1:33
74. Sam Bennett, Bora-Argon 18, at 18:02
98. Stephen Clancy, Novo Nordisk, at 31:19
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