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Volta ao Algarve May 5-9 2021

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Am I right that Bennett now has six wins from nine total bunch sprint participations this season?
Six out of nine or ten, depending on whether you count the uphill sprint in Paris-Nice where he bonked badly in the final kilometer. Meanwhile Ackermann has also contested nine or ten (not sure if today counts as contesting). Bora's decision to let Bennett go because they had Sagan and Ackermann was stupid at the time, and looks worse than ever now...
 
Despite my earlier pigheaded confidence that the sprints were between two guys, the second sprint here could be an opportunity for an unexpected sprinter to get a win (and Bennett’s scalp). Even with a great leadout he was pushed close there and looked quite laboured. Probably not in form yet at all. Plus Ackermann is, well, 2021 Ackermann still it seems.
 
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Bora-Hansgrohe:
"Of course I am disappointed. We invested a lot to control the race and I had good legs today. Also the uphill stretch to the line would have favored my abilities, but there was no chance to avoid the crash. I had to ride full gas for 2 kilometers to get back and then the sprint started already before the last corner. There was nothing I could have done differently. It’s a pity, we just had bad luck." – Pascal Ackermann

"Well, today we had really bad luck. We worked a lot, and the guys did a good job until the last 3 kilometers. Also there they have been positioned well, but the crash happened in the first positions of the bunch. Rudi went down, but he is ok, Pascal was on his wheel and had to stop. He was able to get back, but we lost all chances there as he had to spend all his energy. We did nothing wrong today, sometimes you just have bad luck." – Jean-Pierre Heynderickx, Sports Director
 
Bora-Hansgrohe:
"Of course I am disappointed. We invested a lot to control the race and I had good legs today. Also the uphill stretch to the line would have favored my abilities, but there was no chance to avoid the crash. I had to ride full gas for 2 kilometers to get back and then the sprint started already before the last corner. There was nothing I could have done differently. It’s a pity, we just had bad luck." – Pascal Ackermann

"Well, today we had really bad luck. We worked a lot, and the guys did a good job until the last 3 kilometers. Also there they have been positioned well, but the crash happened in the first positions of the bunch. Rudi went down, but he is ok, Pascal was on his wheel and had to stop. He was able to get back, but we lost all chances there as he had to spend all his energy. We did nothing wrong today, sometimes you just have bad luck." – Jean-Pierre Heynderickx, Sports Director

That’s fair enough really. If he’s actually in decent form he has a good chance in the second sprint. Particularly as Bennett was saying afterwards that he felt bad in the sprint and thinks he has a lot of work to do on his form. A win at last would go a long way in rebuilding confidence,
 
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