(Reuters) – Australian Caleb Ewan admitted he “stuffed up” his finish as he chased a second stage win on this year’s Tour de France at Ile de Re on Tuesday.
The Lotto-Soudal rider, who won stage three, finished just behind Ireland’s Sam Bennett at the end of the 168.5km 10th stage from Ile d’Oleron.
“I was exactly where I wanted to be,” Ewan told Australia’s SBS TV.
“I was feeling good, but if I look back on that sprint I should have gone a bit earlier and tried to surprise him.
“I stuffed up my sprint a little bit and waited a bit too long and didn’t have enough room in the end to come round him.”
Deceuninck-Quick Step rider Bennett took the green jersey for the points classification by pipping Ewan and Slovakian Peter Sagan to the line for his first Tour stage win.
Ewan, who won three stages on last year’s Tour, is sixth on the points classification going into Wednesday’s 11th stage from Chatelaillon-Plage to Poitiers.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney in Sydney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
