The first moment I knew that Sam Bennett (Bora-Hansgrohe) had won the second stage of the 2019 Vuelta a España was when I saw the team's soigneurs stopping to rejoice after the stage 14 finish in Oviedo.

Rather than a sprint, Bennett had to make a long late charge against the line in order to succeed, with the peloton jostled by a late crash.

Bennett, the reigning Irish road champion, later said that when he reached the finish line in central Oviedo, he was not sure if the day's breakaway group had managed to escape.

"I was afraid to celebrate because I wasn't at the front until 6-5km to go," Bennett, already the winner of stage 3 of the Vuelta, said after the finish.

"I didn't know if I should celebrate or not, I've made mistakes like that in the past and I'm very embarrassed."

Bennett also said he hoped the victims of the mass crash in the last kilometer were safe. He and the 20-30 riders in front of him were lucky to avoid the crash.

"I heard the crash, but it was behind me. Then Quick Step was fully organized for the sprint and the UAE was there.

Bennett, who won stage 3 and lost to Deceuninck-Quick Step's Fabio Jacobsen on stage 4, won his fifth Grand Tour stage win in a mini-runaway after keeping up the front in what Bora Hansgrohe called a "great job" on him!

"I'm not sure I'll ever win again.

"The pace began to slow down on the steep final climb, and one rider (Tosh Van de Sande of Lotto Soudal, editor's note:) overtook him at speed.

"(Max) Richeze went and I thought the other one was going too fast. When I saw 300 meters to go, I thought, "Oh, that's too far," but there was enough power."

Although Bennett has won some one-day races, most of his previous victories have come in stage races. However, the mini-runaway he showed at the finish of stage 14 of the Vuelta has sparked speculation that he may shift his skills to more challenging classic races in the future.

"In the past I have been told that I don't have the ability to be a pure sprinter and that I should be more of a classic racer because I have a higher VO2 max and a bigger engine than a sprinter," Bennett said.

"But maybe I'm pushing myself too hard because I want to be a sprinter. Maybe I really shouldn't be a sprinter, but I don't care because I can get results."

In the short term, Bennett said he feels considerable pressure to succeed in the Vuelta because of the lack of opportunities in the Spanish Grand Tours.

"You have to wait a long time to win a sprint [stage] and you have to ride around for 11 days feeling pretty useless. But when the opportunity finally came on stage 14 of the Vuelta, Bennett knew how to take it.