Sam Bennett takes third at Giro’s second stage in Israel

ITALY’S Elia Viviani lived up to his pre-stage status as favourite by winning the bunch sprint into Tel Aviv on the second day of the Giro d’Italia.

The Quick-Step Floors rider appeared to be completely out of position as the sprinter’s teams jockeyed for position through a series of 90-degree turns in the run-in to the finish on the seafront of the Israeli city but the 29-year-old blazed through a gap by the barrier and won with something to spare.

Trailing in his wake were Polish-born Italian Jakub Mareczko and Ireland’s Sam Bennett, whose third place is his best ever finish in one of cycling’s three grand tours.

With many of the big-name sprinters absent from the Giro, Viviani (right) versus Bennett could be a key battle in this race, although there are relatively few opportunities for the bigger, faster men in this notoriously difficult race.

Viviani, though, was not the only big winner on the day as Australia’s Rohan Dennis took the leader’s pink jersey 24 hours later than he and his team had hoped on Friday.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Dennis said: ‘I missed the ‘maglia rosa’ by very little yesterday but I made it today thanks to teamwork.’

Viviani was also understandably beaming with pride at the finish and he dedicated his second Giro victory to his girlfriend Elena.

After the drama of Friday’s warm-up ride crash and belowpar time-trial effort, Team Sky Chris Froome had an uneventful day on the 167kilometre jaunt from Haifa to Tel Aviv. Today’s long, hot and bumpy ride through the Negev Desert to the Red Sea resort of Eilat will be a truer test of how well he has bounced back from his tumble.