After completing his collection of Grand Tour stage wins yesterday, Carrick on Suir’s Sam Bennett is back on the road today.
The eleventh stage of the Tour de France takes the peloton on a 167 kilometre trek to Poitiers.
It’s the same town where fellow Carrick man Sean Kelly won his first Tour stage in 1978.
Speaking to Tipp FM this morning Sean said the Deceuninck Quick-Step team rode perfectly yesterday to take Sam to that elusive win.
“The team did a magnificent job in the lead-out and you could see the emotion Sam had afterwards in the post race interview.”
“Everybody dreams about winning a stage in the Tour of France and it’s been such a long time for Sam to get it. Even this year he was very close in the earlier days – it took a good few days to get it and when you get it in that way it’s more sweet and more emotional.”
Bennett holds a 24-point lead over Peter Sagan in the race for the green jersey of points leader.
Primoz Roglic wears the overall leader’s yellow jersey.
