Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) took his first win of the 2022 campaign at Eschborn-Frankfurt, sprinting to victory from a bunched peloton at the end of the 185km race.
The Irishman held off Fernando Gaviria (UAE Team Emirates) and Alexander Kristoff (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) in the final dash to the line, claiming the 57th win of his career and his first since returning to Bora-Hansgrohe over the winter.
"I think the team were fantastic today. They really looked after me all day, helped to control the race, and then in the final there was a perfect job in the positioning. Danny really timed the lead out to perfection, brought me inside 200 to go with a lot of speed," Bennett said after his win.
"I had really good legs as well, but I just want to thank the whole team, the staff, just for supporting me the last few months, getting back on track, and always believing in me. I'm super happy with result and it's fantastic to get the win for a German team at a German race.
"The last couple of months was still just working on the base and I started working on my top end the last 10 days and it's already showing. I have a training period now where I can work towards some big goals in June and July."
Bora-Hansgrohe had been among the teams controlling the race on the final run to the finish in Frankfurt, the German squad joined by the likes of Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert, Uno-X, and Bahrain Victorious in the closing kilometres.
Heading into the final kilometre, it was Bahrain and Intermarché who looked to be in charge. Bora lurked behind, biding their time as Biniam Girmay (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) launched ahead of teammate Kristoff.
The move came too early, though, and Danny van Poppel moved through to the front at the perfect time with Bennett in his wheel. Gaviria and Kristoff jumped on to Bennett's wheel in the closing metres, but it was too late to get past the Irishman, who led from the front to clinch victory.
The race had been all set for a sprint finish after the early breakaway was caught at 42km to go, with Jens Reynders (Sport Vlaanderen-Baloise) the last man standing from a quintet which included Daan Hoole (Trek-Segafredo), Johan Meens (Bingoal-Pauwels Sauces-WB), Juan Antonio López (Burgos-BH), and Pierre Rolland (B&B Hotels-KTM).
The group's advantage reached over five minutes at one point during the hills in the mid-section of the race, but with a bunch sprint deciding the outcome in each of the past six editions, they were never likely to survive to the finish.
After the break was caught, another move tried to get away, with Girmay and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) among five men who briefly attempted to go on the attack. The group was quickly brought back, though, and the final 40km was raced with few disruptions in the peloton en route to the sprint finish.
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