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George Bennett reached the top of the Zoncolan, finished the stage and rode back down the climb towards his team bus. But when he met his team mate Edoardo Affini, who was still riding up the mountain to the finish, Bennett turned around and joined him. He rode with him back up the climb to the finish to keep him company
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George Bennett was bitterly disappointed with his ride on Monte Zoncolan yesterday, when the Kiwi champion made the breakaway again but climbed well below par. He had to be content with 7th on the stage as some of the other breakaway men went on to take the top three placings.
Bennett (31), who went into this Giro as a GC rider tipped to do very well, wrapped up at the top of the climb yesterday after he finished and started riding back down the mountain towards his team bus.
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However, as he descended towards the team bus, Bennett met his Jumbo Visma team mate Edoardo Affini on the road, as the Italian was still riding up the climb to the finish line.
Bennett stopped and turned around. He then rode up the top of the mountain again with Affini to keep him company as the Italian had been in the breakaway with him and worked so hard all day for him.
“Shout out to the big dog Edoardo Affini for carrying the breakaway all day yesterday,” Bennett said on Instagram as he shared a photo of himself riding the upper slopes of Monte Zoncolan for a second time, and the company of Affini.
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“Gutted not to pull it off in
the end, there just wasn’t much left in the legs after that start. I will have
nightmares of 200km full steam into a headwind for the rest of my life.”
The photo of Bennett – with his rain jacket on and a towel wrapped around his neck to stay warm - with Affini was caught by the international cycling photographers Jered Gruber (above) and Kristof Ramon (below).
“Unfortunately I didn’t have the legs to compete for the stage victory”, Bennett said of his ride on yesterday's stage, when he would have been highly fancied to be the best climber in the breakaway on the climb.
“It was a really tough stage. We went full throttle from the start and there was a lot of headwind. We had to fight for every second to stay ahead.
"Edoardo was really strong and he deserves all the credits, because he made the difference on the flat. As a result I didn’t have the power anymore at the beginning of the Zoncolan."
Affini has been a great find for Jumbo Visma. The 24-year-old was 2nd in the Giro's opening TT to Filippo Ganna (Ineos Grenadiers). He was also 2nd in the bunch sprint two days ago to Giacomo Nizzolo (Qhubeka ASSOS), when he went early and almost held on with a pursuiter's effort in the final 600m.
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