Sam Bennett continues to impress in his first professional season. Yesterday he finished fifth in a classy sprint field at the World Ports Classic.

As expected, yesterday’s second and final stage of the World Ports Classic was decided in a mass sprint. Ramon Sinkeldam (Giant Shimano) just barely beat out Theo Bos (Belkin) and Greg Hendersen (Lotto Belisol) on the section from Antwerp to Rotterdam. Bos’s second place finish was enough for him to claim the top position in the general classification.

Sam Bennett of Team NetApp-Endura demonstrated his sprinting talent yet again by finishing 5th in the hectic finale. The 23-year-old native of Ireland has now placed in the top 10 for the eleventh time in his first season on the pro circuit. When the Bayern Rundfahrt (Tour of Bavaria) begins in a few days, he will have several more opportunities to sprint to top results.

“Even though Sam himself is a bit disappointed, I am very satisfied with his fifth place finish. The experienced sprint trains had an advantage today. We were competing against seasoned WorldTour sprinters here. Sometimes in such a technical finish it all comes down to experience. We just haven’t yet reached that point with our young team. Fifth place is still an accomplishment and we have every reason to be satisfied,” Christian Pömer, Sport Director of Team NetApp-Endura, said at the end of the World Ports Classic.

Yesterday’s race ran its usual course. After the first sprint classification, five riders pulled away. The field always kept them under control so that their lead was never more than three minutes.A soloist from this group was able to escape again in the last third of the race; the peloton was only complete again for the last seven kilometers. The sprint trains of the individual teams began to form for the arrival in Rotterdam. Team NetApp-Endura’s train got Sam Bennett into a good initial position right behind the favorites. There were several crashes along the extremely challenging final stretch – which featured multiple roundabouts and curves – resulting in a hectic sprint finale.