Bennett lacks climbing sharpness in opening stage of Tour of Turkey

Sam Bennett will begin Monday’s second stage of the Presidential Tour of Turkey hoping for a finale which better suits him than Sunday’s opener. The Irish sprinter is at the race chasing what would be his first victory of 2022, but lacked the climbing sharpness needed in the closing kilometres of Sunday’s opening stage to Kusadasi.

Bennett’s Bora-hansgrohe teammates, such as Irish national champion Ryan Mullen, were aiming to set him up for the bunch finish, but Bennett was one of several riders who lost pace on the final climb of the day, a steep 2km drag followed by a 1½-kilometre downhill dash to the finish line.

Mullen was 25th, finishing in the same reduced bunch as the victor Caleb Ewan (Lotto Soudal). Bennett sat up on the climb once he got into difficulty, and rolled in 43 seconds back.

Meanwhile, Cycling Ireland National Road Series leaders Matthew Teggart and Caoimhe O’Brien repeated their opening round wins in Saturday’s second race in the series, held in Knockaderry, Limerick.

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The A1/A2 men’s event was 156km and featured a big attack from last year’s national road race championship silver medallist Daire Feeley (EvoPro Racing). However, his effort was frustrated by problems with his front gear mech, enabling Teggart (Wiv SunGod) to catch him with a kilometre remaining. He powered clear to win alone, while Feeley’s teammate Conn McDunphy beat Gareth O’Neill (Caldwell Cycles) and Mark Dowling (All human-VeloRevolution) for the runner-up slot. Feeley placed fifth.

O’Brien was best in the Des Hanlon Memorial in Carlow, and wore the leader’s jersey starting the women’s event. She rode aggressively early on but despite this and attacks from other riders, the event concluded with a big sprint.

She proved fastest in a bunch sprint, beating Erin Grace Creighton (McConvey Cycles) and Emma Smith (Navan Road Club). Ella Doherty (UCD Cycling Club) and Clodagh Ní Gallchóir (UCD Cycling Club) completed the top five.