IRELAND’S SAM BENNETT is right in the mix for the green jersey at the Tour de France after an explosive performance midway through stage four saw him pull level with sprint leader and perennial winner Peter Sagan of Slovakia.
Sagan has donned the green of the best overall sprinter at seven of the last eight Tours, but for the first time in several years it appears as though he will face stiff competition in the shape of his former Bora-Hansgrohe team-mate.
Carrick-on-Suir native Bennett, now riding for Deceuninck–Quick-Step, narrowly missed out on yesterday’s third stage as he was pipped by Australian Caleb Ewan. But after racking up intermediate sprint points at the halfway mark of stage four, Bennett has drawn level with Sagan on 83.
Before the race runs through the Pyrenees this weekend, there are two flat stages during which Bennett will seek to rip the green from Sagan going into the second half of this year’s event.
In the battle for overall victory, Primoz Roglic laid down a marker to his rivals with a win on stage four as Julian Alaphilippe retained the yellow jersey.
Roglic was seen as favourite in this year’s Tour before suffering injuries in a crash at the Criterium du Dauphine last month, but appeared untroubled as he sprang forward to take the win at Orcieres-Merlette.
Alaphilippe and Britain’s Adam Yates were part of the chasing group who followed Roglic over the line to ensure no change at the top of the standings, in which Deceuninck-QuickStep’s Alaphilippe leads Yates of Mitchelton-Scott by four seconds.
But Roglic is now only seven seconds behind, and this performance will be seen as a sign that he has carried over the form which saw him leading in the Dauphine before he withdrew ahead of the final stage.
“It was quite a hard day actually, quite hot, but the guys did again a really good job, I was all the time in a good position and at the end I could do a good sprint,” the Slovenian said.
Asked if he had hoped the victory would come with the yellow jersey, he added: “I have to accept it, I don’t really care. It was a nice day, we stayed safe at the end, we win which is even better and we have to continue like that.
“I’m coming back [from injury]. We see that I am still coming back and now I can race every day feeling even better.”
The 160.5km stage from Sisteron saw the Tour dip a toe into the Alps unusually early and cap it with a summit finish, though the final climb was not one to compare with those to come in the final week of this race.
Instead the steady gradient was taken at high speed as Roglic’s Jumbo-Visma team controlled from the front, ensuring attacks were kept to a minimum until the road began to level out near the top.
Cofidis’ Guillaume Martin tried a move with 500 metres to go, sparking the others into life. Roglic quickly showed he had the most left in the tank, leaving defending champion Egan Bernal in his wake as the Colombian came home seventh ahead of Yates in 10th.
Bernal remains sixth overall, now 17 seconds off Alaphilippe in yellow. But Richard Carapaz – Ineos Grenadiers’ plan B should Bernal falter – could not keep up with the lead group and lost 28 seconds to slip to 21st overall.
– This article was amended at 19:10 to correct an error regarding Peter Sagan’s nationality. He is Slovakian, not Czech as previously stated.
Just get Crowley back, he hasn’t played since September and during the RWC got maybe 70mins total ?
@Owen ODonoghue: you don’t think he needs a mental break after the World Cup? What about his training load since pre season? It’s not just about game time.
@Pierce O’Hehir: Reckon if you asked him he’d prefer to play….
@Owen ODonoghue: long season ahead.
@Owen ODonoghue: could not agree more. Carbery has already probably more minutes this season. It’s completely insane. He’s played 30 mins since Sept 23rd. He’s 22. Get him playing.
Give Butler game time. No harm. We know what we get with RS, who is not a long-term option at 10, and I’d hate to lose Frisch’s ability at 13 where he is first choice. If Carbery is injured, then why wouldn’t we give youth a chance?
@Brenda Collins: Something tells me there are going to be more competitive matches in the URC this year- not many occasions to give some young lad a ‘run’, especially as you’re champions with a target on your backs in every game.
@Brenda Collins: agree completely Brenda
@Brenda Collins: Butler looks like a decent player, obviously green but with a nice touch and not afraid to attack the line, hope in a situation like this they back him.
please play Daly at 13, thank you.
There needs to be some sort of loan system introduced between provinces. Someone like Charlie Tector at Leinster is going to be very limited in terms of playing time, while Munster will struggle during the six nations should Carbery rediscover his best form and get selected along with Crowley
@philip kelly: I don’t think Munster will have to worry about having two Out Halves away during the 6N.
@David Finn: what if both are unavailable for selection?
@David Finn: Why not?
@David Finn: I’d imagine it’s a distinct possibility. If joey is going well it’d be very easy to see him bypass Ross byrne
@munsterman: or Ross Byrne could be injured at 6 nations time. Could mean Carbery and Crowley both in the Ireland camp. Or R Byrne could stay fit but one of the two Munster flyhalfs is injured with the other in Ireland camp. Unless there’s a surprise pick (Carty, Burns comeback, one of the younger flyhalfs selected) it looks like any injury at flyhalf and Munster are out of specialists in that position.
@Kevin Volf: it’d be nice to still have Ben healy
@munsterman: Or Flannery.