Sam Bennett took his fourth win of the season over the weekend when he won the second stage of the Arctic Tour of Norway. He also finished runner-up in the points classification to Alexander Kristoff and is now targeting his first WorldTour-ranked win this weekend.
By Brian Canty
Sam Bennett admitted he felt “terrible” up until the final finishing laps at the Arctic Tour of Norway and rued not taking the points jersey from Alexander Kristoff (Katusha).
The Irishman looked superb in winning Friday’s second stage from Evenskjer to Setermoen but with typical modesty, he said if he did that sprint 1,000 times again it wouldn’t work out as perfectly as it did.
Bennett felt he was too far back to contest the gallop that decided the outcome but when a gap opened in front of him he just dived through and was a comfortable winner.
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That followed a third-place the day before as well as the white jersey for leader of the young rider classification.
“I felt terrible all weekend until I went on the attack yesterday,” he told stickybottle.
“I felt much better then so it was good to finish the weekend with the legs like that and I was lucky enough to get a stage win too.
“I think it was just the antibiotics I was on and the fatigue from the Tour; it always felt like such an effort this weekend and just riding through was hard,” he added.
Bennett went into yesterday’s final stage one point adrift of Kristoff in the race for the green jersey but gave himself a mountain to climb when he “messed up” the first intermediate sprint.
“We tried to do the first sprint and I messed it up so I went from one point behind to four points behind (28 – 24), but on the finishing circuit I attacked the first time up the climb.
“The bunch stayed with me but I attacked a kilometre before the second sprint and won that and then I went across to the break and stayed away until the top of the next climb.”
He’d go across that KOH in second place, clearly underlining he was feeling strong.
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“There was a split in the break with two laps to go but I hesitated to go with them (leaders) and I shouldn’t have because I could have stayed there and it would have meant points for the next time around.
“I blew up trying to going across and I was gone the next time up the next climb so I missed an opportunity there, but I messed up the first sprint and that’s what cost me the points jersey.”
Still, a stage win from a strong field represents a good weekend’s work.
“I thought I was too far back to win that,” he recalled of Friday's stunning win.
“You could try that 1,000 times and it wouldn’t happen but when I went through, the gap just opened, spaces kept opening and I kept going and going.
“I didn’t get to sprint for long but I could do a good burst and I didn’t have to hold it for so long.”
Next up for Bennett is the WorldTour-ranked Vattenfall Classic in Germany next Sunday, a race he’s eagerly looking forward to.
“It’s a WorldTour race so I’d really like a result there, I’ve never won a race of this size before and that would really change my career.
“It’s going to be very hard but if my legs feel as good as they felt yesterday and I’m in the right place at the right time I can do a sprint.”
Related reading - Video: Sam Bennett’s finishing speed in Norway has to be seen to be believed
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