Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) will bypass Milan-Sanremo on Saturday and will instead focus on three one-day races in France in coming days.
While Milan-Sanremo is the monument that sprinters are most likely to win, Bennett has had a chequered experience in the race, even during the best seasons of his career to date; from 2019 through to 2021.
His best result came in 2019 when he was 28th, finishing in the remains of the peloton some 27 seconds down on the 10-rider group sprinting for victory, which went to Julian Alaphilippe (Deceuninck-QuickStep) on Via Roma.
This weekend Bennett is foregoing another appearance in the first classic of the season in favour of a back to basics approach, as he tries to find his winning groove again.
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He will ride Grand Prix de Denain (1.Pro) tomorrow, followed by Classic Loire Atlantique (1.1) and Cholet - Pays de la Loire (1.1) on Saturday and Sunday respectively.
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Tomorrow, Bennett will face serious opposition, if it comes down to a sprint, from; Arnaud De Lie (Lotto Dstny), Juan Sebastián Molano (UAE Team Emirates), Amaury Capiot (Arkéa-B&B Hotels) and Laurenz Rex (Intermarché-Wanty).
However, at the weekend the sprint field in both races is very thin, based on the line-ups announced so far, with most of the fields comprised of UCI Continental teams.
That brings two big chances for Bennett to take his first win of the season this weekend. However, the absence of numerous strong teams riding for a sprint will also make the races harder to keep together for a final gallop.
