Bennett eyeing up third stage win on UAE Tour

IRELAND’S Sam Bennett doubled up with a second win at the UAE Tour as he took yesterday’s stage six in a sprint ahead of Elia Viviani and Pascal Ackermann.

As expected, the 165km stage from Deira Island came down to a bunch sprint on the Palm Jumeirah, where Bennett (right) was expertly guided into place by Deceuninck-QuickStep team-mate Michael Morkov, making it look easy as his rivals could only scrap for second place.

Jumbo-Visma’s David Dekker looked best placed to challenge Bennett but faded to fourth as Viviani and Ackermann came around him.

“I wouldn’t have done it without my team-mates,” said Bennett, who also took stage four on Wednesday.

“I think the more sprints we do together, the better we’re getting. It’s becoming more second nature.

“It’s about repeating the same thing and making decisions in the final. We’re really getting to know each other and pretty much nailing it at the minute.”

The sprint finish meant no change at the top of the general classification, in which UAE Team Emirates’ Tadej Pogacar leads Adam Yates of the Ineos Grenadiers by 45 seconds going into today’s final stage – with another sprint anticipated in Abu Dhabi.

“I really want it,” Bennett said of a possible third stage win. “For sure we’ll go for it. It will be hard but we’ll go again.”

After the UAE Tour, Bennett will turn his attention to Paris-Nice before his first big goal of the season, Milan San Remo, on March 20.

Elsewhere, Ryan Mullen (Trek Segafredo) is the only Irishman in the field for tomorrow’s Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Classic.