Giro d'Italia: Sam Bennett wins stage 7 in Praia a Mare

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Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) claimed his maiden Grand Tour victory on stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia. The Irish sprinter timed his final acceleration perfectly, coming over the top of Elia Viviani (Quick-Step Floors) and Niccolo Bonifazio (Bahrain-Merida) in the final 75 meters.

Bennett, who has come so close on a number of occasions to winning a Grand Tour stage, punched the air as he crossed the line, before being swamped by his teammates at the line.

The technical run-in provided a frantic finish, and Viviani looked on course to take his third stage win of the race when he came around Sacha Modolo (EF-Drapac) with the line in sight. The Quick-Step rider had wisely avoided the fight for position in last 10 kilometres, instead instructing his teammates to keep him safe, but still in contention, as the likes of LottoNL, EF, and Trek battled for supremacy.

With 1.7km to go the Italian began to move up, and while his lead-out looked well-timed and efficient, Bennett had latched onto the back of the Quick-Step train. The Irishman, who has remained patient for his first Grand Tour win since making his debut at the Tour de France in 2015, freewheeled for the briefest of moments as Viviani moved onto Modolo’s wheel, and when the Quick-Step rider moved to the right and opened his sprint, Bennett used the move as a launch pad for his own sprint.

A fast finishing Bonifazio could not get on terms after a late puncture disrupted his race, but Bennett fully deserved his victory.

"I feel relieved," the Irishman said at the finish.

"I’ve been so close so many times in the Giro, to really get the timing right was key with so many fast sprinters here. It’s not easy to beat Viviani - he really knows what he’s doing. My time came - at one point I thought it would never come. I want to thank the team and everybody who got me to this point.

"I just had to get that wheel, and a bit of patience as well. I had to freewheel for a moment at one point because I knew it was a just bit too early. When the time was right I really took it up."

After wins in Paris-Nice, Turkey and Paris-Bourges, Bennett finally has the major victory his palmarès desperately needed and, at 27, has plenty of time to use this victory as a breakthrough in his career. All it took was a little patience, and some fast legs, of course.

Simon Yates (Mitchelton-Scott) retained his overall lead, with Tom Dumoulin (Sunweb) and Esteban Chaves (Mitchelton-Scott) remaining second and third.

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