Sam Bennett has said he feels “excited” that a plan has been unveiled to start the Tour de France in August, saying he’s ready to target stage wins in the race.
“Finally, today we woke up to some nice news,” he said of
the UCI’s announcement the Tour is penciled in for August-September.
“We have something to aim for again, which is great. It
means the season isn’t lost and that the show will go on a little bit. Hope
everyone is as excited as I am.”
However, the Monaco-based Carrick-on-Suir sprinter said while he has his own goals, the public’s health had to come first at present.
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“My own ambitions are put to one side and you do what’s
right, and hopefully those chances come sooner rather than later,” he said of
looking to get into Tour de France action.
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Bennett is now aged 29 years and has ridden the Tour just
twice; abandoning on stage 17 on his debut in 2015 and suffering a very bad
crash on the opening stage the following year, though he finished the event
despite his injuries.
However, since his last appearance in the race he has transformed into one of the best sprinters in the world and has seven Grand Tour stage wins in his palmares; five at the Giro and two at last year’s Vuelta.
But it’s Tour de France stage wins that make a rider’s
career, especially sprinters like Bennett, and he has made no secret of his
desire to win in the biggest race in the sport.
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“I’m ready now,” he said of riding the Tour this year
with Deceuninck-QuickStep. “I’ve really discovered myself as a rider in the
last two years.
“I’m not saying I’m the fastest but I know I can compete
and there’s definitely a win there for me.
‘I’m 29 and I feel my whole career has been
building to this. Now I want to go to the Tour and get those wins”, he stated,
adding he would go into the race backed by a formidable team.
“If you get a run at the Tour de France with this team
backing you, it’s something massive and I couldn’t miss out on it,” he said.
“How many sprinters go to Deceuninck-QuickStep and go
backwards? They all go there and progress.
“When you see that blue moving through the peloton, it’s
intimidating for a lot of teams,” he said of his squad which has proven so
successful in the sprints, classics and stage races.
“The start of the season didn’t go the way I wanted,” he
said of racing before the Covid19 lock-down measures were introduced.
“I wasn’t in the form I hoped for; I didn’t perform the
way I wanted to,” he added in an interview with PA.
“I know this is a terrible thing to happen and I wouldn’t
wish it on anyone, but it gives me a chance to start my season fresh.”
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