Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) may have been denied a third stage win, in three days, on the Four Days of Dunkirk today but with a weekend of racing remaining the Irish rider is on the cusp of a career first; a general classification victory.
Thanks to his two stage wins - and his 3rd place on stage 1 and 2nd place today - Bennett leads the overall and the points classification with two stages remaining. The time bonuses on offer each day have seen Bennett gain a tidy 30 seconds.
And because all four stages so far have ended in a bunch sprint, those 30 seconds gained put Bennett in a very strong position outright by the time it rolls to a conclusion in Dunkirk on Sunday afternoon.
Bennett now leads the overall by 14 seconds from stage 1 winner Milan Fretin (Cofidis), with Corbin Strong (Israel-Premier Tech) in 3rd place at 23 seconds. And those gaps mean if the final two stages end in a bunch sprint, and Bennett is in that bunch, only Fretin could overtake the Irishman in the GC, and even he would need to win at least one of the final two stages and be 2nd in the other.
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However, given the way Bennett is now sprinting, and the confidence boost he has received from his two victories so far - and winning the bunch sprint again today, just behind breakaway man Warre Vangheluwe (Soudal-QuicStep) - it's highly unlikely the Irish rider would not figure if the final two stages end in bunch sprints.
Tomorrow's stage is 179.1km from Arques to Cassel and, given the course, it is more likely than Sunday's stage to split as there are repeated small climbs through the day. However, though those ascents are modest, there 18 of them - two on the each lap of the finishing circuit - at 1.1km and 1.9km.
On a good day - especially in a field that is not stacked with top flight riders - Bennett would be able to cope with that terrain. And while he has a very good chance of sprinting for victory tomorrow, it will be a challenge for him to remain in the race leader's jersey.
If he can pass tomorrow's test - including the last climb just 1km before the finish - the final stage on Sunday is a flat run of 176.8km from Loon-Plage to Dunkerque. That is definitely one where Bennett will hope to win again, whether he is still in the race leader's jersey on not.
