Sam Bennett showed strong form and determination on Thursday’s penultimate stage of the Région Pays de la Loire Tour, clocking up his second stage win in three days.
The Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale rider had to deal with a climb of more than a kilometre to the finish line, including a very steep final 200 meters. He continuously pushed forward, sitting fourth with 600 metres to go and was poised in second place as the sprint opened up.
He blasted home first and extended his overall lead to 14 seconds with just Friday’s 186.5km stage to Le Mans.
“I didn’t really expect to be here today, but I gave everything to take this win,” Bennett said of the tough finale.
“Today was a victory not just with the legs, but also with the head. I tried several times to stay well-positioned and out of people’s minds, to hide in the bunch until the final climb.
Joey Carbery, Munster and Ireland - where did it all go wrong?
“On the last lap, I moved closer to the front, and the race calmed down a bit until the final kilometre. The headwind on the last climb helped me use my power and finish off this huge effort with a win.”
It was his fourth victory of this season and while Friday’s stage is a more difficult one, he and his team will do everything they can for him to triumph overall.
“Our collective strength will be the key to securing the general classification tomorrow,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mia Griffin took a fine third in the Grand Prix El Salvador on Tuesday, following up on her stage win last week in the Tour of El Salvador.
