IRISH RIDER SAM Bennett claimed the fifth stage of the Tour of Britain in the Welsh town of Caerphilly on Thursday, while Bradley Wiggins retained the overall lead.
Bennett, from An Post Chain Reaction, prevailed in a sprint finish ahead of Michal Golas (Omega Pharma-Quickstep) and Martin Elmiger (IAM Cycling) following a small breakaway.
Wiggins held onto his 37-second advantage as Team Sky, orchestrated by Ian Stannard, managed to hold the peloton together.
Stannard is second in the overall classification, six seconds ahead of Swiss rider Elmiger.
Belgium-born Bennett, 22, completed the 177km ride from Machynlleth to Caerphilly in a time of four hours, 35 minutes and 28 seconds. It was his first career stage victory.
“It was a real hard fight coming into the finish, but I knew if I hung on up the climb that I would recuperate quick enough for the sprint and I just hung in,” he told www.britishcycling.org.co.uk.
“It was a bit of a gamble going into the last corner. I went a bit wide, but I had enough acceleration to take the win.”
