Sam Bennett may have converted a lot of folks into cycling fans with his incredible win at Giro d’Italia.
Irish professional cyclist Sam Bennett made history on Friday by winning stage 7 of the Giro d’Italia. Being the first Irishman since Stephen Roche in 1987 to claim a stage at the Giro is impressive enough, but how he accomplished it is mindblowing.
Bennett was near the top of a large group of riders heading into the final sprint of the race. He pumped those legs to take the inside lane (apologies to any cycling enthusiasts screaming at their screens for the lack of proper cycling terminology).
This manoeuvre left him in a great position heading into the final stretch. He found himself in third place as the rest of the cyclist edged towards the barrier closing in those who were left trailing.
Once he saw an opening, Bennett didn’t hesitate to make his move. As the two leaders broke off, Bennett went for the win.
With just a few seconds left in the race, Bennett had it all to do. He was in third place, but one final push would see him cross the finish first.
And sure enough, it was the Irishman who crossed the line first.
For a pleb like me that doesn’t know the intricacies of professional cycling, his timing appeared to be seriously impressive. The commentators seemed to agree with this sentiment as they got so excited one of them mistakenly called him ‘Sean Bennett’.
Check out the incredible climax in the video embedded below.
'That was genius timing!' 😱
Sam Bennett pips Elia Viviani to get his first ever Grand Tour stage win after a frantic sprint finish! 👏#Giro101 pic.twitter.com/XtcSAWjULW
— Eurosport (@eurosport) May 11, 2018
