Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) has taken his third stage victory at Four Days of Dunkirk and today his win came after he proved the strongest in the finale of a tough race, and in the final dash to the line.
As the field split today - on what was an undulating 179km from Arques to Cassel - Bennett has further extended his lead in the general classification with just one stage remaining tomorrow into Dunkirk, where he could win again and should wrap up the overall.
In the final today, we saw the Bennett of old; throwing caution to the win to take the initiative and then holding off those who were still at the front to take the win from Paul Penhoët (Groupama-FDJ) and Jenno Berckmoes (Lotto Dstny).
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Bennett attacked on the short final Mont Cassel climb - having dealt with the earlier climb, cobbles and attackers - and was strong enough to finish the job and win, his final effort reminiscent of his stage 4 win at Vuelta a Burgos in 2020.
“My teammates made my life a lot easier today. I didn't have to think about strategy, they did the work for me. I just had to manage the last five hundred meters well, so this victory is above all for my teammates," Bennett said at the finish.
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"Normally, in a mass sprint, you always have to watch out for the riders coming from behind, this was a very different configuration. I knew that we had to be placed four hundred meters at the turn on the left, at that moment it is very difficult to come back from behind.
"I just tried to hold on afterward, but I had to throw first. We'll see tomorrow if I still have any legs left, but it's already a very good week."
3️⃣ stage wins in 5️⃣ days for Sam Bennett ?
@decathlonAG2RM continue to dominate at the 4 Jours de Dunkerque@Sammmy_Be | @4JDDunkerque pic.twitter.com/Py6byIIhFM
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 18, 2024
