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Carrick-on-Suir's Sam Bennett looks for further success in Vuelta a Espana

Carrick-on-Suir's Sam Bennett looks for further success in Vuelta a Espana

Sam Bennett returns to action today in the Vuelta a Espana.

Carrick-on-Suir's Bennett clinched his second stage victory in a row by winning stage three of the Vuelta a España on Sunday, a 193km trek that started and finished in Breda.

Bennett was the fastest in the sprint finish in the last stage on Dutch soil also, winning the second stage in Utrecht.

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Bennett became the second Irish rider to win at least 10 stages in Grand Tours after the legendary Sean Kelly.

"It was quite hard because a lot of people were fighting for our wheel," said Bennett, who leads the green jersey race on 117 points to Pedersen's 80.

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"It was just the natural flow that people went up the side and squeezed me off, so there were a few tough moments to hold Danny's wheel. It was a hard fight."

The Tipperary rider is in the green jersey ahead of the fourth stage, which measures over 152 kilometres.

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Yesterday was the first rest day of the tour and provided participants with the much-needed time to recoup ahead of another day of intense battle.

The next six stages before the next rest day will be raced in medium or high mountains of northern Spain, in the Basque Country and Asturias.

Edoardo Affini will take over the red leader's jersey, called "La Roja", for stage four.

He becomes the third Jumbo-Visma rider to do so after Robert Gesink and Mike Teunissen.

 

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