 Bennati found great success at the Circuit de la Sarthe , taking his first wins in over a year at that race . The Italian sprinter first won stage 1 in a full field sprint before Garmin – Cervélo 's Michel Kreder defeated him in the sprint finish the next day . Later the same day as stage 2 , Bennati won the 6 @.@ 8 km ( 4 @.@ 2 mi ) time trial to extend his overall lead . It was the first time trial Bennati had ever won as a professional . He finished six minutes down in the hilly fourth stage , losing any chance at winning the race overall , but he rebounded to claim a third win in the event in a reduced sprint in stage 5 . Three wins and a second place meant he handily won the event 's points classification as well . 
