Sam Bennett explains why he struggled so much on Vuelta stage 10 | Sticky Bottle

Sam Bennett said even though he was first across the line on stage 9, he was already starting to feel tired, and that the next day, on stage 10, "the legs were gone", though he has since recovered. Today might be a finish for him, if he is on a good day and depending on how the stage is raced (Photo: Gomez Sport)

Sam Bennett has spoken of his below par performance on stage 10 of La Vuelta last Friday, saying his legs were simply gone.

He was clearly in the red on terrain that would not normally trouble him and at a time when no other riders were going off the back of the bunch.

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Bennett was visible near the back of what was a full peloton at the time with almost 50km to go. And with about 30km remaining he slipped off the back on his own.

While many others got into trouble and were dropped, that occurred much later on the stage. It looked like Bennett was way off his best, being distanced before anyone else, and has now confirmed that he suffered a day when his legs were "gone".

“I found the beginning of the second week the hardest,” Bennett said of getting back into action on stage 7 after the first rest day.

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And while he was best in the bunch sprint that settled stage 9, only to be relegated after a shoulder barging incident, he said he was already starting to feel tired that day, before being dropped the following day when his legs were "gone".

“The second time I crossed the line first (on stage 9) I didn’t have good legs, then obviously the day after, the legs were gone,” he said. “So a tough second week in all, but in general nothing too major.”

*Sam Bennett has said he performed so poorly on stage 10 - when he was dropped on moderate terrain, and before anyone else - as he was suffering a bad day when his legs were "gone" (Photo: Cor Vos)*

Speaking to The Irish Times, Bennett suggested his condition had rallied in recent days and even though those were mountain stages he had felt better than he did on stage 10.

Today's stage 14 is possibly one for a sprint from a reduced peloton; a scenario that can suit Bennett - on a good day - much better than the other fast men in the field.

The 204.7km stage from Lugo to Ourense features three cat 3 climbs and a kick up to the finish line. If raced hard and the general classification men decide to take it up, a sprint outcome is more unlikely.

However, if the racing was less aggressive and more controlled, some of the sprinters may be in contention, just as Jasper Philipsen (UAE Team Emirates) was on stage 10 even though Primoz Roglic (Jumbo Visma) won the day.