Sam Bennett narrowly missed out on his first victory of the year on Wednesday in the second stage of the Région Pays de la Loire Tour in France, coming second in a group sprint to solo breaker Ewen Costiou of Arkéa-B&B Hotels. Costiou, hailing from France, was part of an eight-rider breakaway that remained front-runners until the end of the stage, escaping just before the group overtook them. Launching his winning move with one kilometre left, Costiou crossed the finish line eight seconds ahead of Bennett’s group.
The Irishman said, “I was aiming for first place for myself and the team, but coming in second is a commendable outcome. My team supported me well, placing me in a strong position for the finale. Naturally, the ambition is always to clinicle victory, but all credit to the Arkéa team for their successful race strategy.”
Despite being in fine form this season, Bennett has struggled to find his stride in the sprint. Recently, he has been focusing on improving this aspect in the gym and the effort appears to be bearing fruit.
Gordon D’Arcy opines that Craig Casey has a chance to show his worth as the next potential candidate for Ireland.
Bennett commented, “My legs are getting stronger. I can now compete for positions, my strength is returning. With two stages remaining, we’ll see what’s possible.”