No joy for Ireland's Bennett as Magnier wins Bessèges opener | Video

Sam Bennett looked like he was in contention for the final sprint until the gradient kicked in and the Irishman lost out (Photo: Tomasz Smietana)

Sam Bennett's quest for a strong start to the new season did not come on the opening day of his campaign today, when he fought to be in contention at Etoile de Bessèges but ultimately came up short.

The Irishman was brought to the front close to the finish in Bellegarde by his Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale team mates and was within striking distance to pounce just at the right time.

However, when the others vying for victory opened the taps fully and surged forward, Bennett looked laboured on the incline to the finish and rapidly lost ground.

He faded to 70th place, clearly sitting up when his effort was done, and crossed the line some 28 seconds after stage winner Paul Magnier (Soudal QuickStep).

Arnaud De Lie (Lotto) got the best lead-out from his team, though he too looked like he was struggling to stay on top of the gear. And when his foot came out of the pedal with just a few hundred metres to go, his fight for victory was over.

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Magnier had no such problems on the steep 600m kicker to the line, holding off Jordi Meeus (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost).

Though Bennett will be disappointed with his ride today, the 2km climb to the finish - the final 600m at nine per cent gradient - was not going to be to the liking of all the sprinters; even Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek) not featuring in the final dash to the line.

Bennett and the other fast men may get another shot at a win as soon as tomorrow. The 166km stage from Domessargues to Marguerittes features only modest climbing, with a sprint from a reduced bunch the most likely outcome.

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