Sam Bennett won the third stage of the Vuelta a España, the Bora-Hansgrohe rider’s second win in a row, with an important sprint in the Dutch city of Breda.
The Irishman appeared to be out of contention after the final right-hand corner inside the final kilometre, with Pascal Ackermann (UAE Team Emirates) seemingly perfectly positioned after a strong start from his teammates.
But a long, straight drag to the finish line at the end of a 193.5km loop allowed Bennett time and space to outpace his rivals and prove he is the most potent finisher in the final Grand Tour of the season. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) was second and Dan McLay (Arkéa-Samsic) was third.
Edoardo Affini will wear the overall leader’s red jersey in stage four on Tuesday after his successful Jumbo-Visma team time trial on Friday.
Bennett said: “It was a pretty tough fight and the boys, again, what can I say? Thank you so much for the commitment. The boys were there all day looking after me in the gang, giving me bottles when it was difficult.
“Today was not difficult in the Vuelta, but there was a lot of acceleration out of the corners all day, it was a very nervous day, but again, the work they did in the final… it was a master class That it happens two days in a row is very nice. That’s a confidence booster for sure.”
Bennett was overlooked by his team for selection for this year’s Tour de France, and has been linked with a move elsewhere, but this pair of wins, his ninth and 10th in the big tours, now they can change the landscape. He previously won two stages in the Tour de France and three in the Giro d’Italia and is the second Irishman, after Sean Kelly, to achieve 10 grand tour stage wins.
It had been a nervous and fast-paced day in the saddle for the riders, with potential crosswinds a concern for the general classification hopefuls, and the overall average speed just under 50km/h.
A seven-man breakaway with Thomas De Gendt (Lotto Soudal) broke down in the closing kilometers after the Belgian veteran won the only intermediate sprint of the day with 12km to go.
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There were numerous sharp bends and pieces of road furniture to negotiate, and Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers) crashed towards the end, but his team-mates brought him safely back to the peloton.
The race now moves to Spain, with a transfer day on Monday before the fourth stage between Vitoria-Gasteiz and Laguardia in the Basque Country, a 152.5km mid-mountain stage.