Walker wins but Bennett steals show

NICHOLAS WALKER (Australia Cinelli-DownUnder) was the surprise stage winner and Simon Richardson (Britain Rapha Condor) took the race-leader’s yellow jersey, but it was young Sam Bennett (Tipperary Dan Morrissey) who turned in the performance of the day to finish sixth in the uphill sprint when the FBD Insurance Rás arrived in Killorglin last evening.

What made it even more dramatic for the 18-year-old Carrick-on-Suir man was that the 110 mile trek from Caherciveen incorporated the Category 1 Conor Pass among six climbs along the way and he crossed with some of the best riders in Europe.

And when the big leading group screamed into Killorglin he positioned himself for a ferocious sprint up the hill that again involved Russell Downing (Britain Candi TV Marshalls), who won a number of stages and held the race leadership up to the final day in last year’s professional Tour of Ireland and also finished second on Sunday when Bennett was seventh.