Sam Bennett got to savour the atmosphere at Flanders for a couple of hours yesterday before stomach problems undid his debut in a monument, though Paris Roubaix beckons next Sunday (Photo: Martin Verfaillie)
By Shane Stokes
A non-finisher yesterday in the Tour of Flanders due to stomach problems, Sam Bennett has said that he believes he will recover in time for Wednesday’s Scheldeprijs semi-Classic, where he hopes to fight it out for a big result in the sprint.
The NetApp Endura rider made his Flanders debut yesterday with the team but, feeling below the weather before the start, he decided to commit himself to team duties for as long as possible, then withdraw.
“I didn’t feel great due to issues with my stomach, but I told the team I would do as much as I could before stopping,” he told stickybottle last evening.
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“I was riding okay for the first 100 kilometres, and at one point nearly got across to the move with Taylor Phinney in it. But they accelerated when I was almost there and pulled away again.
“Considering how my stomach was, maybe that was a good thing. I continued and then stopped at the first feed zone.”
Bennett’s withdrawal was a personal disappointment, with the Carrick on Suir rider admitting to being in a bad mood for a few hours afterwards.
However he has a good programme ahead of him and believes he will bounce back.
On Wednesday he will compete in the Scheldeprijs race and on the basis of the results of recent editions, he knows that a big sprint is the most likely outcome.
“I’m hoping it finishes in a big bunch gallop – if so, I’ll see how things work out. I don’t think my general form is as strong as it was at the Tour of Britain [where he won a stage – ed.], but my sprint is good,” he said.
“So it will be interesting to see how it goes.”
Bennett underlined that finishing speed on several occasions this year. He has landed a number of big results, including victory in the Clasica de Almeria, third on stage six of the Tour of Oman and fourth on stage two of Tirreno-Adriatico.
He also rode well in the Gent Wevelgem Classic last weekend and was towards the front in the final sprint to the line. He finished twelfth, although he likely would have placed higher had his team not been hit by atrocious luck in the finale.
A total of three team-mates hit the deck inside the final ten kilometres, leaving Bennett without a lead-out for the final sprint. He was hemmed in against the barriers when that gallop unfolded and then found himself unable to get past a wall of riders.
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“I rode the best I could there,” he said, looking back to the Belgian race.
“I wasn’t going really well in Dwars Door but was going much better in Gent Wevelgem.
“Coming into the finish I didn’t feel bad, although I was still missing that little bit extra because it was so long. I didn’t have the sharpness to position myself at the end,” he said of the finale after his lead-out train crashed.
“If I was a bit stronger, I would have been able to hold position better. I also made another mistake in that I let Zak [Dempster]’s wheel go. If I’d just held that, it would have more straightforward.
“Still, at the end I still had a sprint in me. That amazed me. I knew I would be there somewhere, but I didn’t expect my legs to be as good. It was just a pity that I was in a bad position starting the sprint.”
Bennett will likely have a chance to try again if Scheldeprijs plays out well for him; if so, he will hope that his team has better luck and he will have good support as the final battle unfolds.
After that, he’ll pin on a race number for Paris-Roubaix, an experience he spoke to stickybottle about in a news piece published here last night.
Bennett began racing with NetApp Endura less than two months ago and has settled in very well. He has taken one win and six other top ten finishes thus far, showing that the hard work he did over the winter has paid off.
His team confirmed to stickybottle this week that there is a possibility he could ride the Tour de France, although the final selection will be made much closer to that event.
Whatever that decision is, it is clear that his debut has been a very good one thus far. He’s settled in well, is able to fight his corner in terms of holding position and has also shown some very quick finishing bursts.
“I am happy thus far,” he said, assessing how things have gone.
“I’d like to be on the podium a bit more. But I can’t complain – last June I was thinking of giving up the sport, so I have come along way from there…”
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