On the first day for sprinters at the Vuelta a España, Deceuninck-Quick-Step set up their sprinter Sam Bennett and the Irishman delivered in a fast, downhill finish, just nipping Jasper Philipsen (UAE) at the line.
After a high-speed set-up on wide-open highways — the peloton was averaging
well over 60kph in the final 10km
— the finish was technical, with two hard turns inside the last 500m.
With 2km to go, Deceuninck-Quick-Step took the reins, and commanded the front until a righthand turn at 500m. At a lefthand turn at 300m, Philipsen blazed through the inside of the corner and jumped hard, getting a gap on Bennett and the rest of the sprinters. It was only in the final meters that Bennett was able to get on his wheel and then come around at the line, with Jakub Mareczko (CCC) third.
“It was so fast in the run-in, a bit nervous,” Bennett said. “It was fast all day, but a bit sketchy at the end.”
indeed, the riders covered the 192km stage in 3:53.
“In the final, we weren’t all together yet,” Bennett said of his teammates. “We said we needed to be together at one point, and at that point we all came together perfectly. We just asked three guys to be there, but the entire team was there. When we went into the last left hander it looked a bit dirty, and we weren’t sure how much grip there was. I saw 300 meters to go, and Jasper came up in the inside and got a jump. I didn’t think I would be able to get him.”
But get him he did, and the Bennett was all smiles and congratulations for his teammates at the end.
Tell me again how fast your ride was today.....................
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