The 30-year-old Irishman was denied his ninth Grand Tour stage win in Aguilar de Campoo.
Sam Bennett produced another great sprint and claimed his 50th victory in the pro ranks Thursday afternoon by a clear margin, only to be relegated by the race commissaires minutes later due to some shoulder bumping.
The complaint was made by another team after an incident inside the last kilometer which saw Sam defend his position while a rider tried to barge into his lead-out train as the Tour de France points classification winner was riding close to the barriers and had nowhere to go.
The race will continue Friday afternoon with a 185km-long stage between Castro Urdiales and Suances, in the province of Cantabria.
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