Sam Bennett has said he was delighted to take a win so early in the Vuelta, adding doing it in the Irish champion’s jersey and while compatriot Nicolas Roche was leading the race made for a fantastic feeling.
“I’m
delighted; a lot of the pressure is off now. I felt so bad during the stage
that I’m delighted to get this now,” Bennett said after his bunch sprint win
into Alicante at the end of stage 3 today.
“There’s
pressure all year and then after last week people expected this and then that
brings extra pressure,” he said in reference to winning three BinckBank Tour
stages.
“And
then there’s pressure from myself and that always seems to be the worst
pressure. But, as I say, I’m just happy to get this win now.
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“I’m so proud to win a stage as Irish champion; a huge day for Irish cycling and one we can all cherish.”
His
victory today was his 12th of the season, though he did not make the
Bora-hansgrohe team for the Giro or Tour.
Bennett
said his winning run was a product of being a cyclist who had been trying to
break into the big time for so long.
“I
think it’s a lot of years of mistakes but also I’m just getting stronger each
year. And when you’re strong in the final everything slows down because you’re
not on the limit.
“When
you’re on the limit, you can’t make those decisions and the moment passes
before you get on the right wheel. So it’s about getting stronger, and it gets
easier.”
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Asked
who his inspiration was getting into the sport, Bennett joked that it should be
Sean Kelly. Instead, it was riders like Tom Boonen and Robbie McEwan; who were,
like Bennett now, the top sprinters of their day.
“Sean
Kelly was just a sports centre,” Bennett joked; a reference to the sports
centre named after Kelly in Carrick-on-Suir.
“I
didn’t realise who great Sean was until I went abroad. And when I raced those
races and I’d ask ‘how many times did he win this?’ and then I realised how
amazing he was.”
He
added he was delighted to take the win as compatriot Nicolas Roche was also
leading the race.
“I’m proud to give the Irish something to cheer for; now in the mountains and GC and in the sprints as well. So it’s a great time.”
He added that he felt so under pressure at times during the stage he firmly believed he would not have won without his team mates leading him around during the stage.
"The boys were really amazing today, they made the win possible and I'm really grateful," he said.
"The lead out was messy with Shane (Archbold) being pushed off my wheel by Trek and Jempy (Drucker) also having to fight hard but both those guys did a super job.
"I'm really happy to take my fourth Grand Tour stage victory and hopefully my first of many at the Vuelta."
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