Bennett came close today, though 10th in the Worlds is still a massive result
Ireland’s top finisher in the U23 World Road Race Championships, Sam Bennett has said he was perfectly placed for the finishing sprint in Valkenburg today, Saturday, and with 200 metres to go he thought he was going to be world champion.
However, when he kicked for the line as the gallop ramped up he had nothing left in his legs.
“When I went I just had nothing in my legs, they just completely went to jelly,” he told stickybottle.
While it appeared he was barged a little in the gallop and that that had cost him dearly, he didn’t feel that was the case, adding that he elbowed one rider off a wheel and was then leaned on a little just as the sprint started.
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“I think it was a Canadian, he leaned in on me but he actually pushed me forward a bit rather than sideways so I freewheeled for a second as he was pushing me. I spent a lot of the time fighting with myself. My knee was very sore during the race and I was going to pack it. Then when I looked at Jack Wilson, he was holding his position very well whereas I felt I didn’t do that.”
Bennett said that after the last ascent of the Bemelberg, he came off the road and by the time he gathered himself he was off the back of the peloton. From there he was forced to chase hard to get back on and then fight his way up the bunch on the Cauberg, which was crested just before the finish.
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However, despite that drama he felt he was positioned perfectly for the final sprint, though he had nothing left when he reached for the afterburners.
“I really had to do a kamikaze job last time up the Cauberg. (The chase back on) was good for my adrenaline but not good for the legs. If I hadn’t had the problem on the last lap and had something in the legs I would have liked to see what I could have done. Usually from that position at 200 metres to go I can kick and win. I thought I was going to win it.”
While happy with his result, he seemed frustrated at what might have been.
“I did everything today that I could have. I can’t really ask any more of myself than that.”
He said because the Cauberg was short and steep, the peloton seemed to anticipate the effort every lap and that climb seemed to pass very quickly on all 11 laps of the 177.1km race. However, he added the Bemelberg was longer and more gradual and because it had not been focussed on in the pre-race hype he felt riders were not expecting it to be so hard in a race situation.
“There was one part of it near the top where you went under the trees; it was little ring stuff. You could get up it in the big ring if you wanted but it was definitely more little ring.”
He is to see a specialist on Monday about his knee but feels his good form of late has allowed him push himself further than ever and that his tendon in his knee has simply not yet adjusted to the extra workload.
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