Sam Bennett and the Bora-Argon 18 team travelled to the team presentation for the Tour de France in rather unconventional fashion yesterday. The Irishman said he's a lot more relaxed compared to 12 months ago and he hopes the laissez-faire attitude can pay dividends this next three weeks.
By Brian Canty
Sam Bennett said he’s going into the Tour de France a much more chilled-out rider than 12 months ago but joked he wouldn’t mind if they pushed back the start by a few weeks.
The 25 year-old Carrick-on-Suir man was in good spirits at the team presentation last night.
And unlike 2015, when he came into the race with poor form and morale, he’s a lot more jovial about it all this time around.
He’ll spearhead the Bora-Argon 18 team’s quest for a first stage win in the race – and that starts on tomorrow’s flat opening stage from Mont Sant Michel to Utah Beach.
Advertisement
“I’ve just been trying to keep the motor rolling, sharpen up, recover a little bit and freshen up this last week,” he said about his current condition.
“It’ll be interesting to see how it goes. I know how I was last year going into it… I don’t know why I even did it in that state.
"But I’m much better this year so I should go much better.”
Bennett sprinted his way into the top 10 on the Tour de France for the first time in his career last year but feels he is better prepared to go higher this time around. (Photo: Sirotti)
A different lead-in this year saw Bennett do the Criterium du Dauphiné for the first time and that served as a timely reminder about the test that awaits at the Tour.
“It was really, really tough, it was even hard to finish it," he said of the Dauphiné.
“In the Tour there’s a lot more sprinters and leadout guys, while in the Dauphiné it’s mainly made up of climbers.
"You’re just looking around at all these skinny fellas and wondering ‘what am I doing here’!
“Obviously you have that at the Tour as well but there are more sprint teams and it’s more controlled.
“The Dauphiné is only one week and the climbing stages are later so they’re going flat out, whereas at the Tour it’s more controlled.
“If I could get to the finish of a mountain stage I should be a bit more comfortable this year.”
Sam Bennett's come a long way since being Ireland's star U23 rider and competing in the colours of An Post- Chainreaction.
The memories of his maiden Tour in 2015 are painfully etched in his mind; those horrendous opening days, the mountain battles, the fight to stay in the race.
That experience, however, should stand to him and the element of surprise should be one less thing to contend with.
“It was a shock to the system last year but also, when you weren’t so confident going into it...
Related News
"You know yourself; you’re going bad and any little thing stands out and makes your over think things.
“I think I’m more relaxed this year, I don’t have too many high expectations but I know it’s not going to be as bad as last year…it can’t be.
“Coming into it now, I wish it was… kinda slipped back a few weeks,” he said jokingly.
“The closer it gets to it I wish it was further away but in reality I can’t do anything differently.
“I’ve done everything properly and I was mature in my decisions coming into it about how I was feeling.
“In the past I was always injured or sick coming into the big events, that was also maybe something to do with the altitude training I did before.
“All I really need to do is keep everything normal and run into it with normal condition and then let it happen.
“How many times have I been sick or injured in the past? Tirreno and San Remo were other examples this year and I said I can’t do that again.
“Even last year before the Tour I was sick and injured again. Something had to change.
“This year I have a more relaxed approach so my run-in has been a lot smoother. Just having things run smoothly is the big thing.”
On 2015 compared to 2016: “I think I’m more relaxed this year, I don’t have too many high expectations but I know it’s not going to be as bad as last year…it can’t be.”
While his teammates chose to train at altitude in the last month, Bennett remained at his base in Monaco.
“In my opinion, the altitude is something you do when you’ve all the basic stuff done really, really well and you’re looking for that last percentile you can’t get anywhere else.
“I knew I could get a much higher percentage by training myself, looking after myself.
“I need power and speed so I do a lot of motor-pacing and gym-work. It is much better for me to do that than train at altitude.”
Helping Bennett in the finals last year was Australian Zak Dempster but this year, former An Post Chain Reaction teammate Shane Archbold has been given the nod.
They know each other well having soldiered together for two years there and the Dauphiné offered glimpses of their compatibility also.
Having one man look after him instead of a full lead-out, he reckons, also has its advantages.
“I have Shane this year and we work really well together, when you saw what we did in Paris Bourges last year, it was just the two of us.
“In the Tour, there are so many sprint trains; they’re looking for six guys and it can be impossible to get it all together.
“I couldn’t get it together at the start of the season and I feel with the two of us it’s just going to be easier to go in through gaps and manoeuvre.
“Okay we might miss each other in the last kilometre but it might be less stressful on the run-in.
“Also, we’ve work together a long time and we know each other so it’s time to bring it to a higher level.”
Topics
