Belgian sprinter Tim Merlier may be one of Sam Bennett’s rivals when it comes to the bunch gallops, but he says the Irishman’s exit from the La Vuelta changes his race – at the front and back of the field – for the worst.
Merlier (Alpecin-Deceuninck) said Bennett's Bora-hansgrohe would now be absent from the front of the bunch trying to close down the breakaways and ensure the bunch sprints which he, and Bennett, favoured. And he said he would also miss Bennett and his team mates from the gruppetto on the harder days, when they helped to drive the pace along.
Bennett was forced out of the race with Covid-19 before yesterday’s stage 10 TT. He had already won two stages and held the green jersey during the opening week. And while that jersey was taken from him by Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo) on stage 8, Bennett was 2nd in the classification and was very much in the hunt to win it.
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Merlier said because there were so few top teams willing to work hard to ensure a bunch sprint, losing one of those teams due to Bennett’s exit was a very big blow for him.
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“I am especially sorry,” he said when asked about Bennett leaving the race. “Only us and Trek-Segafredo want another sprint, so it will be even harder to get it.
"Bennett's team was the only team in the Netherlands that could match their sprint train. The rest was just chaos. I prefer to have as many sprinters as possible, also for the days afterwards in the grupetto. This is a downer.”
Meanwhile, Pedersen – who now looks like the favourite for the green jersey – said he was also sorry to see Bennett leave the race.
"I didn't hear until after my TT that Sam was out with Covid,” he said. “It’s a pity as it would be nice to keep fighting for green with him. We have a good relationship; it’s fun to compete and take points in front of each other. I wish him all the best."
