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On the eve of the Tour de France, and his shot of taking a stage 1 win and Tour yellow, Sam Bennett has said he’s really looking forward to get going on this year’s race.
The opening stage features an undulating route but it is one that should still end up in a bunch sprint into Nice.
And having already
won five Grand Tour stages – three at the Giro and two at the Vuelta – Bennett knows
the stakes have never been higher and the prize on offer has never been bigger.
“It’s mad, because when I went into those other Grand Tours I was a lot more relaxed,” Bennett said of the race to come.
“For some reason here, it really feels like my whole career has been a build-up to this moment and this opportunity, and I feel quite a bit of pressure in that sense.
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“It would mean a lot to get a stage win here. It would
settle me as a rider and make me a lot more confident.
“I think you just have to accept there is pressure,
that’s part of the moment. I suppose when you have that pressure it means that
it really means something to you, so you just have to embrace it.
“I know when the racing starts everything will calm down
and the legs will be there. It’s in the days before you have to keep your mind
occupied.
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“I think we just have to take each day as it comes. The first day is possibly a sprint but at the same time it might be a really hard day. You have to stay open-minded and survive as long as possible.”
And while he was just focused on his and his team’s performance, Bennett and the other riders go into the race under the shadow of Covid19.
That has just been amplified as Nice, the race’s base for the opening stages, was today declared a Covid19 red zone.
“The way 2020 has been going, nothing surprises me
anymore,” Bennett said of the possible impact the virus could have on the race.
“We just have to stay open-minded. I wouldn’t be
surprised if it did make it to Paris, but I also wouldn’t be surprised if it
didn’t make it past the weekend.”
Asked how much he
was looking forward to racing in the south of France during the open stages of
the race, close to where he lives in Monaco, Bennett said it wasn’t all upside.
“I know I should
be looking forward to it, but it means I know how hard the roads are so it’s
going to be difficult,” he joked.
“But it’s very
nice to be racing on home roads, second home roads. I’m excited and looking
forward to the race beginning.
“I’m really
excited to be back at the Tour de France and especially to be here with this
team,” he added gesturing to his team mates.
“With Deceuninck-QuickStep we have a fantastic team for this race and we
should be able to have a good shot in a lot of stages here.”
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