"We gambled a bit in the finale" - Sam Bennett carries speed but misses out on win at Tour of Guangxi

It has not been the best of seasons for Sam Bennett and his relationship with BORA - hansgrohe can be described the same way. However, he wants to end his stint with the team on a high note, and he came close to take a win this morning at the Tour of Guangxi.

“After a tough couple of weeks with sickness and so much missed training, I’m quite happy to be back on the podium here," Bennett said in a post-race interview. Given the lead of the team in the flat stages, Bennett does not have Danny van Poppel here but does have a few riders racing in his support and the German team was present in the finale of the opening stage. It was a chaotic situation for many sprinters, Bennett gambled with a late sprint and ended up third on the day.

"Due to the wide roads and headwinds, we gambled a bit in the finale and had to come late. The boys did a perfect job moving up in the last 2.5km. 300m from the finish line, I was held up a tiny bit but we surfed our way through and I came out with good speed in the end," he describes. "Kicking off a race with a podium is always nice!”

The helicopter camera revealed the Irishman to be coming with a lot of speed from behind in what was a sprint kicked off early by Jonathan Milan, however his dash to the line came too late to make the difference. With bonifications in the bag and another bunch sprint expected for tomorrow however, both stage win and race lead are in the cards for the 32-year old.