Sam Bennett made it back-to-back stage wins for Irish riders by taking Stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana with a thrilling sprint finish.
After Team Israel Start-Up Nation's Dan Martin took Stage 3 yesterday, Deceuninck–Quick-Step rider and Tour de France green jersey winner Bennett claimed the fourth stage today.
Bennett caught Jasper Philipsen despite pressure from the young Belgian rider in the final straight.
Philipsen held on for second, while Jakub Mareczko finished third in Stage 4.
Philipsen's late charge meant it was never comfortable for the Tipperary man.
A relieved Bennett said: "We kind of eased up a little bit, because we thought maybe we'd be lined-out.
"When we went into the last left-hander, it looked a bit dirty so we weren't sure about how much grip there was.
"I could see I was after passing 300m to go, and I wanted to go [to] the outside, and then I wasn't sure if I'd keep it upright.
"Then Jasper Philipsen came up the inside, and got such a jump I actually really didn't think I was going to catch him.
"Yeah in the end, I started getting more and more speed and I was still accelerating to the line so I had the power.
"But when he initially went, he was so explosive out of the corner I didn't know if I could catch him."
