BinckBank Tour 2019: Sam Bennett sprints to first leader's jersey

Sam Bennett sprints to victory in the opener of the BinckBank Tour. After a pancake flat and windy test in Belgium and the Netherlands the Irishmen outguns Edward Theuns en Mike Teunissen. (Slideshow route/profile)

Results 1st stage BinckBank Tour 2019

1. Sam Bennett (irl)
2. Edward Theuns (bel) s.t.
3. Mike Teunissen (nld) s.t.
4. Jasper Philipsen (bel) s.t.
5. Phil Bauhaus (ger) s.t.
6. Timothy Dupont (bel) s.t.
7. Dylan Groenwegen (nld) s.t.
8. Kristoffer Halvorsen (nor) s.t.
9. Álvaro Hodeg (col) s.t.
10. Amaury Capiot (bel) s.t.

GC after stage 1
1. Sam Bennett (irl)
2. Lukasz Wisniowski (pol) + 0.02
3. Lars Bak (den) + 0.03
4. Edward Theuns (bel) + 0.04
5. Mike Teunissen (Nedd) + 0.06
6. Jasper Philipsen (bel) + 0.10
7. Phil Bauhaus (ger) s.t.
8. Timothy Dupont (bel) s.t.
9. Dylan Groenewegen (nld) s.t.
10. Kristoffer Halvorsen (nor) s.t.

Koersverloop
Lukasz Wisniowski, Lars Bak, Aaron Verwilst and Baptiste Planckaert form the breakaway. They open up a 3 minutes gap before the peloton takes them on a leash.

Démare can't follow the pace in the peloton with 10 kilometres remaining.

The last attackers to be reeled in are Wisniowski and Bak before the race comes down to a bunch sprint. Sam Bennett outperforms his rivals and wins with a comfortable lead. Obviously, the Irish champion is the first GC leader.

Another interesting read: route 1st stage 2019 BinckBank Tour.