Bennett shines on steep test
KIWI RIDER CLIMBS A PERSONAL MOUNTAIN
level that George is at and it’s not just training,’’ said Dean, who competed in the Tour de France seven times.
‘‘It’s years and years of accumulative training and learning how to be at these races,’’ he said. ‘‘Learning recovery processes and everything like this that comes together to enable an athlete to put themselves in the position George is in.’’
Dean also believed that if Bennett can finish inside the top 10 at the Tour de France – he’s currently ninth – that the achievement would ‘‘hands down’’ be the best by a bike rider from New Zealand – that’s across all disciplines.
‘‘Anyone in the global cycling world that finishes in the top 10 is considered a very, very valuable rider and even at George’s age he’s got many years left,’’ Dean said.
‘‘If he finishes top 10 this year it’s not inconceivable that he can be on the podium in Paris.
‘‘I’ve certainly seen riders of lesser ability than George get on the podium when all the stars have aligned.’’
Bennett’s performance was even more remarkable given he was handed a 20-second penalty for accepting water from a fan.
Speaking to Radiosport yesterday he slammed the punishment, which was handed to him and Rigoberto Uran (Cannondale Drapac) but not Romain Bardet (Ag2r La Mondiale).
‘‘I’d run out of water and took a bottle of water from a fan on the side of the road. I took one and Uran took one and so did a couple of other guys. They were French but they didn’t even get penalties," Bennett said.
Dean said if Bennett was a French, Italian or Spanish rider, or from another major European country, he would be a ‘‘star of epic proportions’’, comparing him to Richie Mccaw and Dan Carter here in New Zealand.
‘‘It certainly makes me immensely proud to see George in that position. One of the things people don’t understand is how big cycling is as a sport,’’ Dean said.
‘‘It’s truly a global sport and many of our sports that we hold so dearly in New Zealand are only sports that a few countries in the world participate in but cycling is certainly not like that.
‘‘What I really hope George can do is increase the understanding around the sport.
‘‘A lot of the years I was racing there wasn’t live TV, there certainly wasn’t social media the way it is today. It was always so hard to follow.
‘‘But the event is so accessible now and I really hope that George, being in the position he’s in now, will bring more understanding to people so they can understand how the sport operates.’’
Although Bennett has been the shining light for New Zealand’s record contingent, Dean also praised the performance of 32-year-old Jack Bauer, who is acing his lead-out role for Quickstep Floors in his first Tour de France since breaking his femur two years ago.
‘‘Jack’s a fantastic team-mate and that’s why they brought him to the team and why they wanted him for Marcus Kittel,’’ Dean said. George Bennett has climbed into ninth place as Chris Froome cracked during a gruelling climb to the finish and lost the overall lead in the Tour de France to Fabio Aru yesterday after a demanding stage won by Romain Bardet.
Froome’s Sky teammates had perfectly controlled the race until the final kilometre leading to the ski station of Peyragudes but the three-time champion was dropped in a final section that featured slopes with a 20 per cent gradient.
Bardet won Stage 12 ahead of Rigoberto Uran and Aru, who seized the race lead from Froome by six seconds. Bardet is third overall, 25 seconds off the pace.
Team Sky had dominated the stage until the final 350m, when Aru made his move. Froome was only able to follow his Italian rival for a few metres before he cracked, and crossed the line in seventh place, 22 seconds behind Bardet.
Bennett, riding for Team Lottonl-jumbo, ended up eighth in the stage, 27 seconds behind Bardet, to move up to ninth overall, 4 minutes and 24 seconds behind Aru.
‘‘Today confirms for me that I can ride with these guys,’’ Bennett told teamlottojumbo.com.
‘‘I still made a few mistakes, but this is a good learning curve. The most important thing for me is to stay consistent.’’
Bennett attacked with 500m left and tried to grab the stage victory. However, he was quickly reined in.
‘‘I had really good legs. A good stage result here would have been nice. Against these guys it is not very realistic to win but you have got to try,’’ he said.
‘‘The year started pretty bad for me with glandular fever. After that, almost everything went well. I was always near the top-10 in the other races and I am hoping to build on it. There is no better place for that then here in the Tour de France.’’
Bidding to become the first Frenchman to win the Tour since Bernard Hinault in 1985, Bardet was the strongest in the brutal incline and described his third stage win on the Tour as ‘‘an immense joy’’.
He said he had visited the ski station with his parents to scout out the final climb.
‘‘I knew it could suit me,’’ Bardet said. ‘‘I was patient. I made the difference on the final hill. There was not much to do before that with the wind and the Sky train.’’
Aru had trailed Froome by 18 seconds at the start of the stage.
‘‘It’s one of the most beautiful things that can happen to you in life, wearing the yellow jersey,’’ said Aru, who rides for the Astana team. ‘‘Clearly, it won’t be easy to defend it.’’
‘‘It certainly makes me immensely proud to see George in that position. One of the things people don’t understand is how big cycling is as a sport.’’ Fellow Kiwi and former Tour de France rider Julian Dean on George Bennett