Sam Bennett wins Clásica de Almería

23-year-old Irishman Sam Bennett (Team NetApp – Endura) claimed his first professional win by out sprinting Juan Jose Lobato (Movistar) and Davide Vigano (Caja Rural) at the Clásica de Almería. The 29th edition of the race at 178 kilometres saw a break of seven riders get away but their advantage never went above 2:30 minutes. The break was caught with 50km to race and with 20km to race the winning break, which included four NetApp Endura riders, went away and built a one minute on the chasing peloton.

"The guys got me perfectly to about 600m to go. I was well position in the last corner. I had to go at 250m because the pace dropped. I came around everyone and took the inside line. At 100m to go my legs started to buckle and I thought I wasn't going to make it. But luckily I did," Sam Bennett said after his first professional win.

"I am so happy to have taken my first win as a pro with Team NetApp – Endura. It was a very nice race today great weather and great roads. Movistar set a nice hard tempo on the climbs and split it in the final with cross winds. It was good for me because it tired everyone else out and got rid of other sprinters. I want to thank all of my team mates who helped me every single chance they got. They really made my job easier and for sure this result came as a result of great team work", Bennett said

"I am very happy with today's results. An early win is so important for motivating the team. Our guys put in a great team performance yesterday, and today they even managed to surpass that effort. Iker Camano, Tiago Machado, and Erick Rowsell aren't usually Sam's lead-out riders," said Alex Sans Vega, Sport Director of Team NetApp – Endura.

"That is why I am all the more pleased that everything worked so perfectly today and that Sam is able to rely on all of his teammates. I hope that we will be able to maintain this level, the atmosphere in the team and this racing style for our upcoming races," Vega said.

Once the gun was fired, riders were launching multiple attacks at the start of the race which formed the main break of seven after 15 kilometres. The peloton never lost control and after the final climb, 50 kilometres before the finish line, the field all came back together.

The breakaway riders were caught soon thereafter and the field headed towards the finish line as one. The day’s winning break group pulled away 20 kilometres before the finish line with 19 riders and with support from his three teammates, Sam Bennett was able to conserve valuable energy for the final kilometres and win the sprint.

Full Results

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#Rider Name (Country) TeamResult
1Sam Bennett (Irl) Team Netapp - Endura4:21:33
2Juan Jose Lobato Del Valle (Spa) Movistar TeamRow 1 - Cell 2
3Davide Vigano (Ita) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 2 - Cell 2
4Francisco José Ventoso Alberdi (Spa) Movistar TeamRow 3 - Cell 2
5Stéphane Poulhies (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 4 - Cell 2
6Jose Joaquin Rojas Gil (Spa) Movistar Team0:00:02
7Bartlomiej Matysiak (Pol) CCC Polsat PolkowiceRow 6 - Cell 2
8Luis Angel Mate Mardones (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 7 - Cell 2
9Tiago Machado (Por) Team Netapp - Endura0:00:06
10Davide Rebellin (Ita) CCC Polsat PolkowiceRow 9 - Cell 2
11David Arroyo Duran (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 10 - Cell 2
12Lukasz Bodnar (Pol) Activejet TeamRow 11 - Cell 2
13Luis Mas Bonet (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 12 - Cell 2
14Jerome Coppel (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 13 - Cell 2
15Iker Camano Ortuzar (Spa) Team Netapp - EnduraRow 14 - Cell 2
16Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (Spa) Movistar TeamRow 15 - Cell 2
17Erick Rowsell (GBr) Team Netapp - Endura0:00:13
18Tomasz Marczynski (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice0:00:53
19Pablo Lastras Garcia (Spa) Movistar Team0:01:00
20Rafael Silva (Por) Efapel - Glassdrive0:02:42
21Carlos Ivan Oyarzun Guinez (Chi) Efapel - GlassdriveRow 20 - Cell 2
22Filipe Duarte Sousa Cardoso (Por) Efapel - GlassdriveRow 21 - Cell 2
23Marek Rutkiewicz (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice0:02:44
24Lukasz Owsian (Pol) CCC Polsat PolkowiceRow 23 - Cell 2
25Raul Alarcon Garcia (Spa) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 24 - Cell 2
26Pawel Franczak (Pol) Activejet TeamRow 25 - Cell 2
27Antonio Piedra Perez (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 26 - Cell 2
28Víctor De La Parte (Spa) Efapel - GlassdriveRow 27 - Cell 2
29Daniel Navarro Garcia (Spa) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 28 - Cell 2
30Ibai Salas (Spa) Burgos-BH0:02:58
31Emanuel Piaskowy (Pol) Activejet TeamRow 30 - Cell 2
32Michal Podlaski (Pol) Activejet Team0:03:03
33Salvador Guardiola Tora (Spa) Pinoroad0:03:36
34Raul Garcia De Mateo Rubio (Spa) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 33 - Cell 2
35Martin Lestido (Spa)Row 34 - Cell 2
36Christophe Laporte (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 35 - Cell 2
37Micael Isidoro (Por) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 36 - Cell 2
38Victor Martin Hernandez (Spa) Burgos-BHRow 37 - Cell 2
39Edwig Cammaerts (Bel) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 38 - Cell 2
40José Joao Pimenta Costa Mendes (Por) Team Netapp - EnduraRow 39 - Cell 2
41Carlos Barbero Cuesta (Spa) EuskadiRow 40 - Cell 2
42Antonio Molina (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 41 - Cell 2
43Vicente Garcia De Mateos Rubio (Spa) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 42 - Cell 2
44Miguel Minguez Ayala (Spa) EuskadiRow 43 - Cell 2
45Cesare Benedetti (Ita) Team Netapp - EnduraRow 44 - Cell 2
46Frantisek Padour (Cze) Team Netapp - EnduraRow 45 - Cell 2
47Nairo Alexander Quintana Rojas (Col) Movistar TeamRow 46 - Cell 2
48Higinio Fernandez (Spa) Team EcuadorRow 47 - Cell 2
49Bruno Duarte Ferreira Silva (Por) Efapel - GlassdriveRow 48 - Cell 2
50Yohan Bagot (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 49 - Cell 2
51Branislau Samoilau (Blr) CCC Polsat PolkowiceRow 50 - Cell 2
52Adrian Honkisz (Pol) CCC Polsat PolkowiceRow 51 - Cell 2
53Jorge Martin Montenegro (Arg) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 52 - Cell 2
54Ruben Fernandez (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 53 - Cell 2
55José Herrada Lopez (Spa) Movistar TeamRow 54 - Cell 2
56Grzegorz Stepniak (Pol) CCC Polsat Polkowice0:05:32
57Tomasz Mickiewicz (Pol) Activejet TeamRow 56 - Cell 2
58Samuel Nicolás (Spa)Row 57 - Cell 2
59Francisco Javier Moreno Allue (Spa) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 58 - Cell 2
60Rui Vinhas (Por) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 59 - Cell 2
61Eugeniu Cozonac (Mda) Louletano - Dunas DouradasRow 60 - Cell 2
62Haritz Orbe Urrutia (Spa) EuskadiRow 61 - Cell 2
63Jon Aberasturi Izaga (Spa) EuskadiRow 62 - Cell 2
64Bayron Guama De La Cruz (Ecu) Team EcuadorRow 63 - Cell 2
65Pablo Lechuga Rodriguez (Spa) EuskadiRow 64 - Cell 2
66Romain Hardy (Fra) Cofidis, Solutions CreditsRow 65 - Cell 2
67Mikel Iturria Segurola (Spa) EuskadiRow 66 - Cell 2
68Jaume Rovira Pous (Spa) Team EcuadorRow 67 - Cell 2
69Mario Gonzalez Salas (Spa) Activejet TeamRow 68 - Cell 2
70Igor Merino Cortazar (Spa) Burgos-BHRow 69 - Cell 2
71Illart Zuazubiskar Gallastegi (Spa) Euskadi0:13:55
72Ricardo Mestre (Por) Efapel - GlassdriveRow 71 - Cell 2
73Federico Butto (Ita) Burgos-BHRow 72 - Cell 2
74Marcos Altur Boronat (Spa)Row 73 - Cell 2
75Henry Marcelo Velasco Cevallos (Ecu) Team EcuadorRow 74 - Cell 2
76Isaac Carbonell Rabat (Spa) Team EcuadorRow 75 - Cell 2
77Garikoitz Bravo Oiarbide (Spa) Efapel - GlassdriveRow 76 - Cell 2
78Konrad Dabkowski (Pol) Activejet TeamRow 77 - Cell 2
79Jose Ragonessi (Ecu) Team EcuadorRow 78 - Cell 2
80Unai Arranz Alonso (Spa) Burgos-BHRow 79 - Cell 2
81Segundo Navarrete (Ecu) Team EcuadorRow 80 - Cell 2
82Álvaro Martínez (Spa)Row 81 - Cell 2
83Mikel Aristi Gardoki (Spa) EuskadiRow 82 - Cell 2
84Imanol Estévez (Spa)0:15:45
DNFLuis Leon Sanchez Gil (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 84 - Cell 2
DNFRamon Domene Reyes (Spa) Caja Rural - Seguros RGARow 85 - Cell 2
DNFJavier Moreno Bazan (Spa) Movistar TeamRow 86 - Cell 2
DNFDiego Leon Cuervo Zambraro (Spa) Burgos-BHRow 87 - Cell 2
DNFAnder Arranz Alonso (Spa) Burgos-BHRow 88 - Cell 2
DNFAlvaro Cuadros Morata (Spa) EtixxRow 89 - Cell 2
DNFAntonio Jesus Soto (Spa)Row 90 - Cell 2
DNFDiego Rubio (Spa) Efapel - GlassdriveRow 91 - Cell 2
DNFPablo Miguel Hidalgo Vega (Ecu) Team EcuadorRow 92 - Cell 2
DNFSlawomir Chrzanowski (Pol) Activejet TeamRow 93 - Cell 2

 

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