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Sam Bennett could not repeat the heroism of claiming the first stage of Paris-Nice and had to settle for fifth place on the second day of the iconic French race.
The sprint king of the Tour de France was affected by an accident one kilometer from the finish line at Amilly and as a result was not in an optimal position to attack at the finish line.
Dutchman Cees Bool of the DSM team secured victory, while Australian Michael Matthews of the Bike Exchange team took control of the overall lead, stripping Bennett of Deceuninck-QuickStep of his leader jersey as a result of the time bonuses that were awarded. acquired during the second stage.
And Bennett felt it was a missed opportunity to secure back-to-back stages as he commented on social media: “Disappointed with my run until the end of the sprint, but the team did a great job for me and I hope this race presents another opportunity to We! “
Great to spend a day in yellow today @ParisNice and so glad to be putting on the geansaí glas tomorrow. 🇮🇪
Disappointed with my race until the end of the sprint, but the team did a great job for me and I hope this race presents another opportunity for us!
📸 @ Fake images pic.twitter.com/nF0MgUlH0t– Sam Bennett (@Sammmy_Be) March 8, 2021
An accident just over a kilometer from the line had split the peloton, one of several incidents on the 188km stage from Oinville-sur-Montcient.
There was concern for George Bennett of Jumbo-Visma, who broke his helmet in an accident near the intermediate sprint at Bellegarde, just over 30km from home, although the New Zealand champion completed the stage.
Denmark’s Mads Pedersen was second to Bool, with Matthews securing the leader’s jersey thanks to a third place finish.
Bennett ranks second overall in the Race to the Sun, four seconds behind Matthews leader, alongside Bool and Pedersen.
The Carrick-on-Suir native will wear the sprinter’s green jersey on Tuesday’s stage as he leads the standings with 21 points.
The third stage is a 14.4 km individual time trial in the city of Gien, located about 60 kilometers east of the city of Orleans.
The battle for overall victory should start to take shape in Tuesday’s 14km time trial in Gien. 081604 MARCH 21
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