Paris-Nice

Sam Bennett swapped the Paris-Nice yellow jersey for the green one, which he already had in his possession following his emphatic victory on the opening day, after sprinting to a top 5 in Amilly, where the peloton returned after four years.

Apart from several echelons attempts, some which had Deceuninck – Quick-Step as protagonist, Monday’s 188km trek was a rather quiet one, as the peloton remained attentive at all times to avoid being caught out on the open roads of the Loiret department. The stage culminated in a bunch sprint, but a messy one, due to the numerous roundabouts, narrow roads and sharp corners that the riders had to navigate inside the closing kilometers.

Because of this, Sam Bennett had to start his sprint from far back, but he still produced an incredible turn of speed and finished fifth, as Cees Bol (Team DSM) took the win. Due to the bonifications game, the 30-year-old lost the yellow jersey, but on the bright side he got to retain the green jersey, which he will now sport during Tuesday’s individual time trial.

“It was a crazy finale and I just couldn’t get to the front. Then, after the last corner I was waiting and waiting, but it turns out I waited too much and the line came quicker than expected. I sprinted from too far back and couldn’t fight for victory, which is a shame, as the legs were there. The team was good again, we are confident and we’ll try again over the next days”, Sam said after the podium ceremony.

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