Sam Bennett shows off his Scheldeprijs battle scars

A huge crash in the finishing straight of Wednesday's Scheldeprijs, taking out many of the field's top sprinters and leaving Alexander Kristoff to fly to the win.

Astana's Andrea Guardini touched wheels with Tom Van Asbroeck (LottoNL-Jumbo) and in turn brought down dozens of other riders, including Team Sky's Elia Viviani.

Bora Argon-18's Sam Bennett, who won a stage in the Tour of Qatar earlier in the year,  took to Instagram to show off his gnarly scars from the crash, which involved him getting a chainring in his side.

If that wasn't enough, the road rash and grazes on the Irishman's shoulders will ensure he doesn't get a good night's sleep for a few days.

The pile up allowed Kristoff, who also won Sunday's Tour of Flanders to take the win in a reduced bunch sprint, continuing his Katusha team's hot streak in recent weeks.

A wildcard invitation to the Tour de France in July will give the 24-year-old a chance to test himself once again against the world's best sprinters, having picked up six top-10 finishes this season already.