Sam Bennett: “Sagan wasn’t complaining, he knows the deal” | Video | Sticky Bottle

Sam Bennett said he raced beyond his own expectations in the breakaway yesterday. He put in a performance that marks him out to develop into a rider for some of the classics in the years ahead (Photo: ASO-Pauline Ballet)

Sam Bennett has said he enjoyed racing head-to-head with Peter Sagan and Matteo Trentin in the breakaway at the Tour de France yesterday, adding he “kept so strong on the day (and) didn’t break”.

And while he now has a 55-point lead over Sagan in the
points classification, he was still focused and was delighted to get yesterday’s
stage 19 out of the way as it was very dangerous for him.

“I know there’s still more to go, but again today was such a crucial day,” he said after the stage, featuring undulating terrain ideally suited to his rivals for the green jersey.

“It’s still not finished,
but today was the most dangerous day, the most critical day,” he said, adding
that once again the support of his Deceuninck-QuickStep team mates was
crucial.

“To be honest I think I even out-performed myself today, I didn’t expect to be able to ride the stage like that,” Bennett said.

Sam Bennett said while he followed Peter Sagan (above) and Matteo Trentin closely, and that was frustrating for them, it was the way he had to race in order to win green. He also believed it was a reflection of how strong his rivals for the points classification are

Sam Bennett man-marked Sagan and Trentin and followed them around for the day; attacking after them when they went and generally ensuring they went nowhere without him.

He also beat them at the intermediate sprint and at the finish, where he was 8th, Sagan 9th and Trentin 10th.

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“I know, it must have been very frustrating for the other guys, and I apologise for that,” he said of the way he rode, sticking close to his two main rivals.

“But that’s more
of a compliment to how strong the other guys are more than anything else,
because that was the only way I could race.

“I was just
trying to mark (Peter Sagan) as much as possible, and I know that must have
been really frustrating for him the other competitors, but that’s the way I had
to race today.

“Sagan wasn’t complaining, he knows the deal. And I’d do the same; would do everything I can to get him off the wheel."

Bennett said he
now had to focus on the Saturday’s penultimate stage, the hilly TT, before
getting set for Paris.

He wanted to win the green jersey so much, which he is now assured of barring a major incident, that he decided to forget about going for the stage win yesterday.

Instead, he
continued to mark his rivals to make sure he out-scored them at the finish.

“Today was all
about being mentally strong, really going for it; just racing my own race
within the race. So there’s still a bit of work to do, but it’s getting closer
to Paris,” he said.