Caffeine gel sets back Sam Bennett recovery at Giro d’Italia
Sam Bennett also offers an interesting insight into how he handled a row with another rider.
Having claimed a very strong 3rd place on Wednesday’s stage of the Giro d’Italia in a big bunch sprint, it looked as though Sam Bennett’s illness was over him.
However, he has said in his Irish Independent Giro Diary today that having chanced a caffeine gel he would regret it.
The Bora-hansgrohe sprinter and Paris-Nice stage winner said he’d stuck to plain food in recent days to give his stomach a rest.
It meant his diet has consisted of plain chicken, rice and porridge.
But because he felt better on the 159km road to Messina on Wednesday he chanced a caffeine gel for the first time in the race. But he would pay for it that night.
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“The gel came back to haunt me as I lay in bed,” Sam Bennett writes in his Giro Diary.
“It wasn’t painful but the noise coming out of my stomach was unbelievable. It was like fireworks going off.
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“There were gurgles, crackles and pops and I think I even heard a screamer at one point.”
Bennett said he and stage 1 winner Lukas Postlberger were staying in an apartment on Wednesday night but he reckons the Austrian heard the noise through the wall.
Yesterday morning began with cramps and more trips to the loo for Bennett. He said his bug would probably take a week to go through his system so it should be almost dealt with by now.
Bennett’s rumblings didn’t seem to do his team mate any harm as he took 3rd on yesterday’s stage.
This was despite accidentally peeing on the commissaires car mid-stage.
Sam Bennett on how he resolved a row
Bennett also offers an interesting insight into how he handled a row with another rider on the road on Wednesday.
The Irish rider accidentally banged off Manuel Quinziato (BMC), hitting him hard with his handlebars.
The Italian thought Bennett had done it on purpose so a “shouting match” ensued.
After the stage Bennett decided to smooth things over. So he texted Richie Porte – a team mate of Quinziato’s – and passed on his phone number.
They then spoke and laughed it off on the road yesterday.
So two nice lessons in the diary today for younger riders; go easy on the caffeine gels and don’t forget to have manners.
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