Sam Bennett takes first win in Irish colours on opening day of Binck Bank Tour
Aug 13 2019 03:26 am CET
Binck Bank Tour logo
Sam Bennett (Bora-hansgrohe) has taken the victory at the opening stage of the Binck Bank Tour.
The first stage of the Dutch-Belgian race was 167.2 kilometres long between Beveren (Belgium) and Hulst (The Netherlands) over a flat course that was bound to finish in a bunch sprint. The day started with an escape of four men: Baptiste Planckaert, Lars Ytting Bak, Lukasz Wisniowski and Aaron Verwilst, who managed to create a gap of around three minutes with the pack.
The rain made its appearance at the last lap of the day and it caused slippery roads that led to a mass crash at one of the cobbled sectors and that left behind riders like Arnaud Demare and Bob Jungels.
The stage came down to a bunch sprint in which Trek-Segafredo's Edward Theuns was the first to make a move but was caught by a strong Sam Bennett, who took the victory of the stage, while Jumbo-Visma's Mike Teunissen was third.
The Irish national champion also took the leader's jersey at the end of the stage.
SUBSCRIBE TO RSS FEEDS