Sam Bennett (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team) has put in a solid start to his 2024 season in France today, placing 7th in the opening TT at Tour de la Provence (2.1).
The Irishman and his team has chosen a relatively gentle start - at least as gentle as it gets in pro cycling - to begin his new season and he is chasing a victory over the next few days to get firing on all cylinders again.
The 33-year-old Carrick-on-Suir man clearly rode the 5km flat TT in Marseille at full gas - chasing a general classification result - and finished 12 seconds down on stage winner Mads Pedersen (Lidl Trek).
The Danish rider, who claimed a stage and overall at Etoile de Bessèges (2.1) last week and looks good for a repeat of that success this week, though Bennett's main priority will be a sprint stage victory before the race concludes on Sunday.
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Today, Pedersen put a deposit down on overall victory beating Bennett by as much as 12 seconds. Pedersen was six seconds up on his team mate Jakob Söderqvist.
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The 20-year-old Swede is competing with the Lidl-Trek Future Racing development team this year, but has stepped up to the World Tour line-up for Tour de la Provence.
British rider Samuel Watson (Groupama-FDJ) was 3rd today, at 10 seconds, followed by Bennett's team mate, Bruno Armirail, at 11 seconds. Irishman Bennett was then among four riders who finished 12 seconds down on Pedersen.
That first sprint chance for Bennett should come tomorrow at the end of the 158km stage from Aix-en-Provence to Martigues. It features some lumps and bumps along the way, and the breeze may blow and split things up, but a sprint looks likely, with Bennett and Pedersen the favourites on paper.
— ⚪ Blanco Bee (@BlancoAsegurado) February 8, 2024
