Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) celebrated today after thinking he had just won his third stage at Four Days of Dunkirk only to miss out on the victory by the narrowest of margins.
At the end of the 166.8km stage into Pont-à-Marcq, four breakaway men were just dangling off the front, with two of them attacking just before 1km to go - Alexis Gougeard (Cofidis) and Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal Quick-Step).
Of those, 22-year-old Belgian Vangheluwe played his cards to perfection, attacking Gougerard and going all the way to the line, though the bunch caught him at the finish, where Ireland's Bennett thought he had won the day.
However, the photo finish showed the front wheel of Vangheluwe, who sat up early to celebrate, just about crossed the line before Bennett, who finished at about twice the speed.
In the end, it was an emotional Vangheluwe who was confirmed as the winner, with Bennett having to be content with 2nd place today. However, the Irishman still proved fastest of the sprinters in the bunch and also extended his race lead today by taking additional bonus seconds.
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Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) rounded out the podium today, with stage 1 winner, and 2nd placed overall, Milan Fretin (Cofidis) in 4th.
More to come.
Issu de l'échappée du jour, Warre Vangheluwe a gagné sa première victoire pro en résistant de très peu à Sam Bennett sur la 4e étape des #4JDD Corbin Strong a pris la 3e place. pic.twitter.com/WIJGFeZA0V
— ? Les Rois du Peloton ? (@LRoisDuPeloton) May 17, 2024
