Sam Bennett bags Bora-Hansgrohe's first victory at Race Melbourne
Bennett outsprints Van Poppel and Scott Sunderland
Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) outsprinted Danny van Poppel (Team Sky) and Scott Sunderland (IsoWhy Sports – SwissWellness) to the top step of the podium at Race Melbourne on Thursday. The Australia Day circuit race hosted on the Formula 1 course in Melbourne's Albert Park serves as a prelude to Sunday's Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
"I'm extremely happy," said Bennett. "To get the first win of the season is really nice, and it takes the pressure off a bit."
The Irishman has enjoyed support from the German-registered squad throughout the Australian summer. He was led out by the rainbow jersey, teammate Peter Sagan, in the People's Choice Classic to finish second to Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott). Bennett sprinted to third on the first stage of the Tour Down Under.
"I'd like to thank [team manager] Ralph [Denk] and Bora-Hansgrohe for setting up a great race program and supporting us here and also to my teammates who supported me all day," said Bennett. "They did a fantastic job and they got me out of trouble, even in the last three corners."
"It was fast," said Tom-Jelte Slager (Cannondale-Drapac), who rode in service of teammate Tom Van Asbroeck. "The sweet spot was around 20th wheel, but it was windy enough that if you were on the front or the back, you were working hard."
A group of 15 riders slipped away on the first lap including Sky pair Luke Rowe and Kenny Elissonde, Esteban Chaves (Orica-Scott), Will Clarke (Cannondale-Drapac), Peter Stetina (Trek-Segafredo) and Calvin Watson (Aqua Blue Sport). The group cooperated, with every rider contributing to the pace-making, but the peloton was unwilling to allow more than a 30-second gap. By lap six, the race had come back together.
The catch sparked a fresh spate of attacks, and a new escape group of 16 went clear on lap seven. Chaves was away again, this time with Ian Stannard (Sky), Sergio Henao (Sky), Koen de Kort (Trek-Segafredo), Alex Howes (Cannondale-Drapac) and Domenico Pozzovivo (Ag2r La Mondiale).
"We just kind of came in relaxed," said Bennett. "We let the race happen, and we didn't try to control or force it. If it came to a sprint, we were going to try and do something, but otherwise we were just going to be relaxed."
Full Results
# | Rider Name (Country) Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Sam Bennett (Irl) Bora-Hansgrohe | 2:21:39 |
2 | Danny Van Poppel (Ned) Team Sky | |
3 | Scott Sunderland (Aus) IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness | |
4 | Edward Theuns (Bel) Trek-Segafredo | |
5 | Caleb Ewan (Aus) Orica-Scott | |
6 | Tyler Farrar (USA) Dimension Data | |
7 | Nikias Arndt (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
8 | Tom Van Asbroeck (Bel) Cannondale-Drapac | |
9 | Matteo Montaguti (Ita) AG2r La Mondiale | |
10 | Travis Mccabe (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | |
11 | Sjoerd Van Ginneken (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
12 | Robert Wagner (Ger) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
13 | Miles Scotson (Aus) BMC Racing Team | |
14 | Taco Van Der Hoorn (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
15 | Francisco Ventoso (Spa) BMC Racing Team | |
16 | Anthony Giacoppo (Aus) IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness | |
17 | Ivan Savitckii (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
18 | Jesse Kerrison (Aus) IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness | |
19 | Brenton Jones (Aus) | |
20 | Nikolay Trusov (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
21 | Julien Berard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
22 | Alexei Tcatevich (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
23 | Tiago Machado (Por) Katusha-Alpecin | |
24 | Maurits Lammertink (Ned) Katusha-Alpecin | |
25 | Pascal Ackermann (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
26 | Lars Ytting Bak (Den) Lotto Soudal | |
27 | Scott Bowden (Aus) | |
28 | Leigh Howard (Aus) Aqua Blue Sport | |
29 | Lucas Hamilton (Aus) | |
30 | Dries Devenyns (Bel) Quick-Step Floors | |
31 | Johannes Fröhlinger (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
32 | Pavel Brutt (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
33 | Alexander Porter (Aus) | |
34 | Cameron Bayly (Aus) | |
35 | Aaron Gate (NZl) Aqua Blue Sport | |
36 | Tanner Putt (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | |
37 | Petr Vakoc (Cze) Quick-Step Floors | |
38 | Danilo Wyss (Swi) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:09 |
39 | Rüdiger Selig (Ger) Bora-Hansgrohe | 0:00:10 |
40 | Michel Kreder (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport | 0:00:12 |
41 | Artur Ershov (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | 0:00:13 |
42 | Phil Bauhaus (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
43 | Sean De Bie (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 0:00:14 |
44 | Damiano Caruso (Ita) BMC Racing Team | 0:00:20 |
45 | Alexey Vermeulen (USA) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
46 | Sven Erik Bystrøm (Nor) Katusha-Alpecin | |
47 | Ian Stannard (GBr) Team Sky | |
48 | Martin Velits (Svk) Quick-Step Floors | |
49 | Ben Gastauer (Lux) AG2R La Mondiale | 0:00:23 |
50 | Domenico Pozzovivo (Ita) AG2R La Mondiale | |
51 | Clement Chevrier (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
52 | Jay McCarthy (Aus) Bora-Hansgrohe | |
53 | Simon Gerrans (Aus) Orica-Scott | |
54 | Kenny Elissonde (Fra) Team Sky | |
55 | Sergio Henao (Col) Team Sky | |
56 | Sebastian Henao (Col) Team Sky | |
57 | Brendan Canty (Aus) Cannondale-Drapac | |
58 | Esteban Chaves (Col) Orica-Scott | |
59 | Mads Pedersen (Den) Trek-Segafredo | |
60 | Koen De Kort (Ned) Trek-Segafredo | |
61 | Robert Gesink (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
62 | Greg Henderson (NZl) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | |
63 | François Bidard (Fra) AG2R La Mondiale | |
64 | Eros Capecchi (Ita) Quick-Step Floors | |
65 | Sergey Nikolaev (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
66 | Jan Bakelants (Bel) AG2R La Mondiale | |
67 | Janier Acevedo (Col) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | |
68 | Amael Moinard (Fra) BMC Racing Team | |
69 | Rohan Dennis (Aus) BMC Racing Team | |
70 | Patrick Bevin (NZl) Cannondale-Drapac | |
71 | Enrico Battaglin (Ita) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | |
72 | Paul Martens (Ger) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | 0:00:36 |
73 | Gianluca Brambilla (Ita) Quick-Step Floors | |
74 | Jack Bauer (NZl) Quick-Step Floors | |
75 | Cameron Meyer (Aus) | 0:00:38 |
76 | Kirill Sveshnikov (Rus) Gazprom – Rusvelo | |
77 | Michael Woods (Can) Cannondale-Drapac | |
78 | Patrick Lane (Aus) IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness | |
79 | Calvin Watson (Aus) Aqua Blue Sport | |
80 | William Clarke (Aus) Cannondale-Drapac | |
81 | Christopher Froome (GBr) Team Sky | |
82 | Laurent Didier (Lux) Trek-Segafredo | |
83 | Jarlinson Pantano (Col) Trek-Segafredo | |
84 | Jhonatan Restrepo (Col) Katusha-Alpecin | |
85 | Michael Hepburn (Aus) Orica-Scott | 0:01:00 |
86 | Luke Rowe (GBr) Team Sky | |
87 | Lennard Hofstede (Ned) Team Sunweb | 0:01:04 |
88 | Lachlan Morton (Aus) Dimension Data | |
89 | Conor Dunne (Ire) Aqua Blue Sport | 0:01:10 |
90 | Lukas Pöstleberger (Aut) Bora-Hansgrohe | 0:01:42 |
91 | Gregor Mühlberger (Aut) Bora-Hasgrohe | |
92 | Rafael Valls (Spa) Lotto Soudal | |
93 | Peter Koning (Ned) Aqua Blue Sport | 0:02:23 |
94 | Jacques Janse van Rensburg (RSA) Dimension Data | 0:02:58 |
95 | Thomas De Gendt (Bel) Lotto Soudal | 0:03:04 |
96 | James Shaw (GBr) Lotto Soudal | |
97 | Sander Armee (Bel) Lotto Soudal | |
98 | Koen Bouwman (Ned) Team LottoNl-Jumbo | 0:03:06 |
99 | Jeroen Meijers (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
100 | Tim Ariesen (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
101 | Simon Geschke (Ger) Team Sunweb | |
102 | Tom-Jelte Slagter (Ned) Cannondale-Drapac | |
103 | Wilco Kelderman (Ned) Team Sunweb | |
104 | José Gonçalves (Por) Katusha-Alpecin | |
105 | Sam Bewley (NZl) Orica-Scott | 0:04:04 |
106 | Alex Howes (USA) Cannondale-Drapac | 0:04:13 |
107 | Peter Stetina (USA) Trek-Segafredo | |
108 | Chris Hamilton (Aus) Team Sunweb | 0:04:15 |
109 | Jaco Venter (RSA) Dimension Data | |
DNF | Ben O'Connor (Aus) Dimension Data | |
DNF | Nathan Haas (Aus) Dimension Data | |
DNF | Ángel Vicioso (Spa) Katusha-Alpecin | |
DNF | Baptiste Planckaert (Bel) Katusha-Alpecin | |
DNF | Bert Jan Lindeman (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Damien Howson (Aus) Orica-Scott | |
DNF | Jesper Asselman (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Martijn Tusveld (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Nick Van Der Lijke (Ned) Roompot - Nederlandse Loterij | |
DNF | Jonathan Clarke (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Adrian Hegyvary (USA) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Lachlan Norris (Aus) UnitedHealthcare Professional Cycling Team | |
DNF | Michael Storer (Aus) | |
DNF | Robbie Hucker (Aus) IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness team | |
DNF | Jeremy Cameron (Aus) IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness team | |
DNF | Enric Mas (Spa) Quick-Step Floors | |
DNF | Rúben Guerreiro (Por) Trek-Segafredo | |
DNF | Lawrence Warbasse (USA) Aqua Blue Sport |
Latest on Cyclingnews
-
Quinn Simmons: I did not deserve to be suspended
Trek-Segafredo rider speaks to cycling press about controversial social media posts from last September -
Riders preview pavé in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad training - Gallery
Alaphilippe, Gilbert, Van Avermaet, Van der Breggen among top riders training in Belgium for spring Classics opener -
COVID-19 testing to continue as UCI updates health protocols
PCR tests, masks, physical distancing to extend to foreseeable future -
Itzulia Basque Country 2021 route announced
Six-day race to conclude with intense 112-kilometre stage to Arrate
Sign up to the Cyclingnews Newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information about how to do this, and how we hold your data, please see our privacy policy
Thank you for signing up to Cycling News. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.