Sam Bennett at the An Post-Chainreaction team launch in Belgium this week; he says he’s determined to take any chances that come his way in 2013 (Photo: Sportsfile)
By Brian Canty
Irish rider Sam Bennett has said he is sick of excuses, sick of being the ‘cry baby all the time’ and stressed that in 2013 he must make his big breakthrough.
Last year, it must be said, was not at all that bad a season for the Carrick-on-Suir sprinter and a 7th place in the European championships allied to 10th at the Worlds a month later will attest to that. But those results failed to net the An Post-Chainreaction rider any interest from bigger teams.
He’s had an injury ravaged time of it the last number of months, with surgery on his knee setting his winter training plan back. But after a good stint of training on his own in Tenerife lately, he believes the time for talking is over, starting with tomorrow’s Beverbeek Classic (UCI 1.2) in Belgium.
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“I’m 22 now. I’m not going to get any younger, so from here on in it’s going to start getting harder to get onto bigger teams. So for me, it’s now or never. It has to happen this year for me. I have to have no excuses so that I can go for it.”
Entering into his third season with the team, Bennett said his big target is to win a UCI1.1 race.
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“Last year I hit some form for a short period and within that short period I got a lot of results. If I could even get consistency, not even so much get stronger, but stay consistent; I’d say I could get results because I’ll be in the right place at the right time. I’m a year older so I should be a bit stronger than last year and I have another season under my belt so hopefully it’ll come good.”
“I thought someone would speak to me after the results I got at the end of the season, but no. So my ultimate (aim) this year is to win a 1.1. I think if I won a 1.1, you could walk onto a ProTour team. But then again, I thought I could get something with my results last year so it’s hard to know. But to win a 1.1, it doesn’t get too much better; maybe a stage of the Tour de France. All I can do is control the controllable and as long as I keep doing that, eventually my luck has to change. I’m fed up of being the cry baby the last two to three years; ‘oh this happened, that happened’. It’s time for me now to show what I’m made of.”
His knees have given him trouble, with some muscular imbalances giving him pain while walking, but he is improving.
“It’s still hard to walk sometimes but they’re okay on the bike; that’s the most important thing. At the moment I’m just doing rehab and strength exercises. I can still feel muscle imbalances because I lost a little muscle (after the operation). And that pulls on the knee, but once I get a massage they’re okay.”
“If it’s cold as well I can feel them, so I must make sure they’re well wrapped up. I have to stretch a lot as well or I’ll get niggles.”
And while he said he doesn’t have specific targets, he’s just going to race when he can.
“I’ll just do as many races as I can and get as consistent as possible because that’s what I’m missing the last few years. There’s always something in the way and I’m tired of having to make excuses, I’d say people are getting fed up of it now and I want to get results so just do as much racing as I can and any chances I get I’ll try and take. If I can win a race, I’m going for it. I’m not holding back anymore.”
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