Sam Bennett rode his first monument today in the shape of the Tour of Flanders and though illness forced him to abandon, he will ride Paris Roubaix next Sunday, perhaps the most iconic of the classics.
Sam Bennett may have pulled out of the Tour of Flanders after suffering from stomach problems today, but the NetApp-Endura neo pro is confirmed as a starter for the iconic Paris-Roubaix classic next Sunday.
It’s a race he grew up being very aware of, not least due to its status as one of the sport’s top events and also because fellow Carrick-on-Suir rider Sean Kelly won it twice.
Bennett rode the race as an under 23 rider, netting 37th in 2010.
More recently he had a prominent showing on the pavé in the 2013 Schaal Sels, showing he can perform on those kind of surfaces.
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“I was fourth in a 1.1 at the end of last year,” he said, referring to that race.
“There are cobble sections in that and I was right at the very front.
“I can kind of hold my own but at this level. (Paris-Roubaix) is a whole different ballgame, so I don’t know how I will be. I am not bad because I push big gears anyway, but I think I still have a bit to go yet.
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“Riding the race is going to be a nice experience. There are other guys on the team that it will be more suited to, so I will probably be playing a role to try to help them in the early stages. But to get a start in it is amazing and I am looking forward to it.
“If I could finish it I would be really happy, because it is about getting longer races in my legs. I am missing that kind of strength so if I can get as many of those as I can under my belt, all that can do is help me.”
The last Irishman to ride the race, and finish it, was Matt Brammeier three years ago when he was part of the HTC Highroad squad.
We have a full interview coming up tomorrow, Monday, with Bennett where he’ll discuss his ride in the Tour of Flanders today, which was his first monument.
And he'll also talk about his season so far, having begun so strongly with NetApp Endura less than 12 months after almost giving up on the sport.
Bennett on the cobbles of Dwaars door Vlaanderen in Belgium the week before last; he's no stranger to the testing pavé and gets a go at the big one next Sunday.
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