Tough on Sam Bennett when he pulled out of the Tour pic.twitter.com/UjQB7xaiFd
— P Clancy (@sham86) November 24, 2015
Bennett fought hard to stay with the peloton on the 17th stage of the Tour de France from Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup but as this picture illustrates, he fought just as hard to hold back the tears when he eventually had to admit that the race had beaten him.
By Brian Canty
The 2015 season will go down as the campaign Sam Bennett really announced himself onto the world stage; the Carrick on Suir sprinter bagging half a dozen professional wins.
But amongst those major career highlights was a moment he’s also not going to forget for many years to come, we suspect.
The 22nd of July, on the 17th stage of the Tour de France from Digne-les-Bains to Pra Loup, saw Bennett’s race come to a grinding halt when he could simply give no more.
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And here’s the picture of the moment it all came to an end.
“I tried to start the stage and got dropped as soon as the flag did,” Bennett explained to stickybottle in his no-frills way.
“I fought so deep but the legs just would not turn the gears.
“I remember the moment the body just had no more to give and the UCI commissaire’s car went by me.
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“I could feel the burning sensation that ran up my cheeks and nostrils as the tears started to build up.
“When I climbed off the bike I could feel the presence of the camera bikes around me.
“I had to fight hard not to break down crying and stay on my feet. There were so many emotions.
“I didn’t like that the Tour de France had beaten me and I had to try to tell myself that it was just a bike race. But in reality it is so much more.”
This won’t be the last chapter of Bennett and the Tour, we can pretty much guarantee you that.
Bennett bounced back in great style after packing the Tour, winning this stage at the Arctic Race of Norway.
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