Deceuninck – Quick-Step Floors Cycling Team (France) - Press Release: The Irishman is back in green after joining a select club of riders with stage victories in all Grand Tours.

Sam Bennett captured his maiden Tour de France win in emphatic fashion in Saint-Martin-de-Ré and immediately unleashed an uncontrollable outpouring of emotion as he slowly realised that he finally fulfilled a career-long dream of taking a stage victory at the biggest race in the world and thus following in the footsteps of Sean Kelly, the last Irishman to win a bunch sprint at the race, four decades ago.

“I don’t think it has hit me yet, I still can’t believe I’m a Tour de France stage winner. I want to thank to the whole team for their confidence and support, to Patrick for giving me this opportunity, to my wife, my family and everyone around me. You dream of it and you never think it will happen, but then it does and you just need a while to sink in. I waited so many years for this to happen and I am so relieved and happy now”, said the first reigning Irish Champion to win a Tour de France stage after scoring Deceuninck – Quick-Step’s 777th victory since 2003, when the team was created.

Photo credit: ©Tim De Waele / Getty Images.