Stage 7
Bennett's maiden Grand Tour win
- Friday 11 May 2018
- 159 km
- 999 m climbed
- Won by Sam Bennett
The road
At the start
Yates in pink after Etna
The volcano delivered. Esteban Chaves won, Simon Yates took the maglia rosa, and Mitchelton-Scott now hold first and third. Tom Dumoulin is second at sixteen seconds and Chris Froome already 1:10 down in eighth. Today the race crosses to the Tyrrhenian coast, 159 flat kilometres from Pizzo to Praia a Mare. Sam Bennett has finished second twice and still has no Grand Tour stage.
How it was won
- 2 km to go
The Quick-Step train winds up
With 1.7km to go Viviani's lead-out looks perfectly timed — but Sam Bennett has latched onto the back of it, freewheeling and waiting.
- At the line
Bennett's maiden Grand Tour win
Using Viviani's opening move as a launch pad, Bennett comes over the top of the Italian in the final 75m for his first Grand Tour victory.
The result
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sam Bennett | BORA - hansgrohe | 3:45:27 |
| 2 | Elia Viviani | Quick-Step Floors | +0:00 |
| 3 | Niccolò Bonifazio | Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team | +0:00 |
The route on real terrain, every moment pinned to the kilometre it happened on — and the GPX to ride it yourself.