Sam Bennett: I should have been a bit more aggressive
Irishman in the mix on opening day at Tour of Qatar
Disappointment and adrenaline can make a potent cocktail, and so sprinters are often best approached cautiously after a defeat, but Sam Bennett is not altogether typical of the breed.
After placing fourth in the sprint at the end of stage 1 of the Tour of Qatar, for instance, Bennett was to be found sitting alongside his teammate Rüdiger Selig in the open boot of the Bora-Argon 18 car, listening earnestly as the German offered his debrief of the finale.
“There were a few little mistakes that Rudi noticed but I didn’t. I thought it was pretty good because it was on all day and it’s hard to make those calls when you’re fucked,” Bennett said matter-of-factly afterwards.
“The guys did an amazing job all day looking after me and I think I bottled it a bit at the end. I just waited too long and I should have been a little bit more aggressive. Maybe it was a confidence thing that I didn’t expect to be there today. Hopefully I don’t make the same mistake twice.”
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Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.