Sam Bennett took his first victory of the new season with a blistering sprint on Friday, blasting past former world champion Mads Pedersen to land the opening stage of the Tour de la Provence.
The Carrick-on-Suir rider judged things perfectly in the finale, sitting on Pedersen’s wheel when he opened up his sprint and then squeezing through a gap between the Dane and Marijn van den Berg (EF Education-EasyPost). They faded to fifth and sixth.
“We came here trying to secure our first win of the season,” Bennet said. “We knew it was going to be a tough fight, but we managed to get through the first climb, and the team did a fantastic job.
“The race was challenging with strong winds, which worked to our advantage, especially since it was mostly headwind on the climb.”
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The Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale rider will draw considerable encouragement from the win. The stage was a tough one with three category two climbs, and just 37 riders finished in the front group.
Bennett took four victories last season, much fewer than he was aiming for, but appears to be already in fine form. He will begin Saturday’s second stage in the leader’s jersey.
“My team-mates were outstanding, and I want to thank them for their incredible support,” he said. “I’m glad I could give them this victory.”
