SAM’S TOKYO TRIP TOSS-UP
Cycling star faces time zone dilemma over Tour de France and Olympics
SAM Bennett has admitted that he faces a dilemma over whether to represent Ireland at the Tokyo Olympics, should the rescheduled Games go ahead later this year.
The cycling race in Tokyo is pencilled in for a week after the conclusion of the Tour de France, where Bennett will be defending his green jersey.
‘I still have to discuss the Olympics with Cycling Ireland,’ Bennett, 30, confirmed yesterday as he launched the new NOW TV Dublinbikes app. ‘All of my career, I’ve been chasing contracts with teams. I never really targeted a race wearing the national jersey before and the thing is, I’m getting older and I don’t know how I will be in the next couple of years, although the Paris Olympics should suit me.
‘But if my form is really good and I’m climbing well again, if things went right, I could definitely do a good job in this year’s Olympics. But it’s a tough one. It’s a week after the Tour de France, it’s a lot of travel, there’s the difference in time zones and with Covid, you just don’t know what way the year is going to be. I’ll have to wait a few months but the Olympics are something every athlete wants to be a part of.’
The 30-year-old will also have to deal with increased expectation this year, as the wider Irish public are now keeping an eye on him after a decade going unnoticed.
‘The pressure of expectation is something I never really felt before, because I kinda went relatively unnoticed until last year’s Tour. I could not believe how crippling the sensation of having that expectation on you could be and it just increases the admiration for the likes of Katie Taylor who go out again and again and perform with that on them.
‘I suppose it comes with the territory this year but I have always put a lot of pressure on myself. I always look to improve and feel like I have a lot more to get out of myself.
‘I just want to try and do better again. You have to feed off the expectation – you can’t let it cripple you. And when the Tour de France comes around this year, I will feel it again but I will be mature enough to deal with it.’
And while holding on to the green jersey is high on his list of priorities, Bennett also wants to win a One-Day classic this year and has the Milan-San Remo in his sights.
‘If I had to pick between the green jersey and San Remo, I’d possibly pick San Remo – for this year. I know the general public in Ireland wouldn’t understand the
“I’d definitely like to win San Remo”
significance of San Remo but it’s such a monument in our sport and such a big race, that I’d love to win it once in my career.
‘For sure, I want to win another green jersey.
‘I tell you what, if I didn’t win San Remo and won a green jersey, I’m not going to be complaining but I’d definitely like to win San Remo.’