Sam Bennett explains his unfortunate problem at Gent Wevelgem | Video | Sticky Bottle

*Sam Bennett looked absolutely shattered after Gent Wevelgem. However, while his chances were scuppered by his food and drink making a re-appearance, he rode a fantastic race (Photo: Wout Beel)*

[banners_ad id=136]

Sam Bennett has
blamed over-fueling for his demise in the finale of Gent-Wevelgem, saying he was
perhaps too eager to stay topped up with food and drink during the 247km race.

The 30-year-old Irishman was the sole representative from
Deceuninck-QuickStep to make the large front group when the crosswinds saw the
race split to pieces in the first 100km.

When the front group was whittled down to just nine riders on the penultimate passage of the Kemmelberg, Bennett was in that group.

While he remained there as the group stayed intact last time up the climb, he said that final passage of the Kemmelberg required him to dig deep. And when he did so, it clearly upset his digestive system and he threw up several times with about 34km to go.

And when the first attack from the breakaway came with
16km to go, Bennett and Danny van Poppel (Intermarché-Wanty-Gobert) were both
distanced.

Wout van Aert (Jumbo Visma) went on to win the race in a
sprint from the remaining breakaway men. Bennett eventually finished 55^th,
some 4:40 down, but he said there wasn’t much he could do once he’d thrown up
his fuel.

When the front group split on the penultimate passage of the Kemmelberg, Sam Bennett was among the nine men that rode away from everyone else; a great performance despite the problems that were to come

Related News

Lara Gillespie attacks Dolomite stage as Giro hits high mountains

Video - Ireland's Meehan climbs with best on brutal Alpine terrain

“I maybe just ate too much, tried to fuel as much as possible,”
he explained after the finish. “And I had to go so deep on the last climb up
the Kemmelberg…

“There was just too much in my stomach, too much lactate, and I couldn’t hold down my food, just threw-up. But it was just my own fault, I tried to stay fuelled for the miles - it’s such a really long race - and I over-ate.

“When my food was out of my stomach, it was only a matter of time before there was no energy in the legs. I just completely blew up, couldn’t get any food back in. So after a little while, I had no food and I had a hunger flat.

*Wout van Aert may have come to the finish with noted bunch sprinters like Giacomo Nizzolo and Sonny Colbrelli but he was still able to beat them to win*

Sam Bennett continued: “I went from one extreme to another. The legs blew up and I just had nothing. I couldn’t do anymore. I just had a hunger flat. I felt dizzy and I felt faint, and I had nothing left.

“I was trying to hold it down a lot, because I knew if I
held it down long enough, I’d be ok, but it just wouldn’t stay down.”

“You’re always
told to eat and drink, so I just kept forcing it down. I just tried to do the
best I possibly could, but I did something wrong.

“I thought once I survived that, I’d make it to the
finish but then when all my food was out of my stomach, it was only a matter of
minutes before I had no energy left in the legs.

“It was a great chance, but when you blow up, there’s
nothing you can do, I thought I was doing the right thing in the race, did
everything I did. But after I threw up I had no food, the hunger set in.”