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Sam Bennett on Second Stage Victory in a Row at the Vuelta: “It was really perfect teamwork”

By Monica Buck

The Irishman outsprinted Mads Pedersen and Dan McLay to continue his stint in the Škoda Green Jersey.

“I am very happy about my second stage win and I have to say a big thank you to my teammates,” Sam Bennett told on his team’s website. “They were just super. Jonas rode in the wind at the front all day and even still had the power to ride a good turn at the end. After that Ryan kept us in front so well, and then came the masterclass lead-out from Danny. It was really perfect teamwork. Honestly, it wasn’t that easy today because a lot of riders were fighting for our wheel, but I managed to hold on to Danny and launch my sprint at a good time. We also extended our lead in the points standings today. I can’t ask for more than that.”

Sam Bennett took the 60th win of his career. Meanwhile, in the GC, it’s Edoardo Affini who wears the red jersey. He became the third Jumbo-Visma rider to do so in three stages. After the opening win in the team time trial, Jumbo-Visma chose Robert Gesink to wear the red in the second stage. Then it was Mike Teunissen and now it’s Edoardo Affini. The top six riders are from the Jumbo-Visma team, so they can enjoy a bit of playing around with the lead for now.

“I enjoyed today. With thousands of people along the course, riding this stage was a good experience,” Robert Gesink admitted. “If feasible, we wanted Edoardo to take over the jersey after today. It is amazing that several team members get a taste of something great this way. We all deserve that; we worked very hard for it. It’s wonderful to see Edoardo experiencing the same joy Robert and I have been experiencing lately.”

“It’s wonderful we can share moments like these,” Affini continued. “As Dutch cyclists, being able to ride in the jersey these past two days was amazing for Robert and Mike. I think this is also really special. It is a leader’s jersey in a grand tour. Few riders experience it. I’m grateful my teammates gave me this jersey and will enjoy it like the other guys. Of course, we will not lose sight of our tasks”, the Italian said.

Vuelta stage three results

  1. Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) – 4:05:53
  2. Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo)
  3. Daniel McLay (Arkéa Samsic)

Vuelta general classification after stage three

  1. Edoardo Affini (Jumbo-Visma) – 8:20:07
  2. Sam Oomen (Jumbo-Visma)
  3. Primoz Roglic (Jumbo-Visma)
  4. Sepp Kuss (Jumbo-Visma)
  5. Mike Teunissen (Jumbo-Visma)
  6. Robert Gesink (Jumbo-Visma)
  7. Ethan Hayter (Ineos Grenadiers) + 13 seconds
  8. Richard Carapaz (Ineos Grenadiers)
  9. Carlos Rodríguez (Ineos Grenadiers)
  10. Pavel Sivakov (Ineos Grenadiers)