Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) took his third consecutive victory at the BinckBank Tour in Aalter, beating Dylan Groenewegen (Jumbo-Visma) by a tyre-width, with the photo finish needed to confirm the Irish national champion was the winner. Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) finished third. A crash just before the final corner saw several riders go down or delayed, including Kristoffer Halvorsen (Team Ineos). That left just a handful of sprinters up front to fight for victory. Philipsen started the sprint but acted as a lead-out for Bennett and Groenewegen, who went around him on the left and right of the road.ADVERTISEMENT Bennett threw his bike at the line early and so lost some speed in the final metres, allowing Groenewegen to close the gap as he dived at the line. However, the Irishman again had the edge on his Dutch rival. "I wasn't sure at all [of having won]," Bennett said, revealing he sprinted with a damaged bike. "I think somebody touched my bike in the last corner and so the gears where jumping like mad. I couldn't throw the bike around; I had to keep it solid. The gears were slipping and so I couldn't get power down. "I got a run at the UAE rider and if it wasn't for that, I don't think I would have got it. I was really lucky today. But it was enough to get it, so I'm really happy." How it happened
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