Ireland’s Sam Bennett came within a whisker of making it back-to-back stage wins at the Vuelta a Espana as Nicolas Roche retained the race leader’s red jersey.

Sam Bennett missed out on a second consecutive Vuelta a Espana stage win by the slightest of margins as he was pipped on the line by Fabio Jakobsen in El Puig.

Sam Bennett will make his debut in the Vuelta a Espana today when the three-week race rolls down the start ramp in the seaside city of Torrevieja, south of Alicante.

It continues a fine record for Bennett in Turkey, as he's now won eight stages of the race over the past three years.