Bennett ‘a bit gutted’ not to win nationals
George Bennett treated himself to a mince pie and a two-scoop cone, after his first bike race in five months went so well he nearly won.
The LottoNL-Jumbo star finished fourth at the elite road national championships in Napier on Sunday, the tag as New Zealand champion eluding him for another year as Jason Christie sprinted clear when there were just four riders left in contention.
‘‘It was good fun but I’m a bit gutted not to win. I didn’t even think I’d be in the final [group] so I should probably be happy. But you know how it is, when you get close you’re always disappointed,’’ Bennett said.
‘‘I was in the race and I picked it really well and actually felt like I was, in the last climbs, the strongest guy. But I didn’t have the mental sharpness to switch on for the sprint. I knew I was outgunned in the sprint.’’
Bennett went into the race, his first since withdrawing from the Vuelta a Espana due to fatigue, with little expectation.
Having recently undergone surgery to remove a ligament in his abdomen that was compressing an artery - hoping it will finally rid of him of the side stitch that has troubled his career - Bennett just wanted to get through the 171km circuit pain free. And from that perspective it was a success.
‘‘I had a pretty optimistic day with the side stitch thing,’’ he said.
‘‘I could feel it coming at one stage and it never really eventuated. It wasn’t sustained power for a long time, it was jumpy, so it’s too early to call it a success. It’s definitely a good start though, to get around there without the pain.’’
Bennett will now look ahead to next week’s Tour Down Under in Australia, his first World Tour race of 2018. His role has altered slightly, now describing himself as a genuine ‘‘dark horse’’.
Although Robert Gesink will lead LottoNL-Jumbo, Bennett will not just be ‘‘carrying drink bottles’’ like he initially thought.
‘‘Maybe we will have it so there’s two cards in place and I play a more aggressive role later in the week and attack, not necessarily for a result but to put pressure on the other teams so Robert gets a free ride, or something like that.
‘‘When we first looked at me going to Tour Down Under we thought maybe I’d just ride around at the back and just get through, but obviously the recovery has gone far better than expected and I’m a lot better than myself and anyone thought I’d be.’’
Bennett will not race the Tour de France or Commonwealth Games this year, instead opting to focus on the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a Espana.