A third second for 'Benna'

Daniele Bennati finished second yet again in the Tour de Suisse. The 26 year-old Italian got second in the prologue behind Fabian Cancellara, second in stage one behind Erik Zabel and yesterday, in stage five, he was second behind another great, Robbie McEwen.

The stage concluded after 192 kilometres in Giubiasco where McEwen clearly overcame Bennati, Zabel and then Fischer. "There is always one that escapes me," he said after the stage to La Gazzetta dello Sport. "At least I am always battling a champion. Robbie is a rival that is a little more difficult to confront; sometimes he anticipates the sprint and sometimes he waits. He is very explosive and more of a sprinter than I am. This time maybe I hesitated."

Both McEwen and Bennati are building for the Tour de France sprints. "I did not think that anyone would be so far along in condition," he continued. "It is too bad that was the last occasion." The race will now hit the high mountains and it then concludes Sunday with a time trail in Bern. "I can take a prologue but a time trial is another discussion."