Irishman Sam Bennett has said that he did not expect to win after he took the victory in the Paris-Bourges race for the second year in succession.
Bennett, who was back on his bike after six days of illness, said to his Bora Argon 18 team's press office: “It was really a hard race today. I was sick for 6 days and after the start of the race I didn’t feel good.
"But I knew it would be like that today and I also knew the course from last year, so we were always up front when the crosswind did play a role. Silvio (Herklotz) and Pfingsti (C. Pfingsten) really worked a lot throughout the day for me.
"In the end I still had Zak (Dempster) and Scott (Thwaites) who did a perfect job as well. Two corners before the finish I was at the wheel of Bouhanni.
"Coquard was also there and tried to push him a little, both had to break then and I came around them outside.
"On the home straight a waited really long before I pushed hard. In the end I just got Prosev be a few millimetres. I did not expect that at all today, therefore it is even more satisfying now.”
Picture copyright of the Press Association. Credit: Ian Parker/PA Wire