'Fear of the unknown' for Sam Bennett ahead of Giro start: "My watts in the Loire gave me confidence"

The fast rider is in his second season with French team Decathlon AG2R, for which he has already won four times this year: twice in the Tour de la Provence and twice in the Region Pays de la Loire Tour. The latter victories were particularly satisfying, as they followed a change in strategy.

"I feel good. I changed my training method in the last two months, so I'm still a bit uncertain going into this Giro. I trust the process, but I still have a bit of fear of the unknown. I'm used to approaching grand tours differently," Bennett said.

"They're not huge changes, but we saw that I've been training mainly for speed over the last three to four years," he explains. "When we dug deeper, we saw it's also about power. So I've been doing some shorter training sessions, whereas I'm more old school and like to spend more hours on the bike."

Bennett acknowledges that a dose of confidence balances the fear of the unknown. "Honestly, I haven't missed the endurance, and so far, it's gone really well. I've achieved good results and was also very happy when I saw my watts after my victory in the Loire,” says the man from Ireland. ”We rode some very good sprints there, and I also won a tough stage that finished uphill. That was very good for my confidence, and I hope it can be confirmed with a stage win in the Giro."

In the upcoming Giro d'Italia, he will have the support of two Belgians. "I have a really good team around me, so I hope to be in contention. Stan Dewulf, Dries De Bondt, and Tord Gudmestad are the guys who will support me, while Andrea Vendrame and Dorian Godon will be used earlier in the stages that end with a smaller group."

On day one, Bennett will be tested right away, with a stage that could end in a sprint with a smaller group. "I think I should be able to survive the climbs in the first stage. Of course, it depends on how the race unfolds, but it should be possible. Due to traffic, we can't do any recon, so I don't have that point of reference. It would be great to wear the pink jersey, which is a highlight in my career, but it will be a tough task. We're making it a goal, but stage four is the first real sprint."

His Australian sports director, Luke Roberts, adds: "The first stage is indeed very interesting. I think the GC teams will take a defensive approach. We are starting a three-week race, so it would be quite ambitious to reveal your tactics immediately. I think many teams will want to make it a sprint."

"All in all, I expect some activity, but with a fresh peloton, I think a fairly large group could remain at the finish," said Roberts, who will probably not be able to let his riders get a taste of the city circuit in Tirana. "We hoped to be able to explore it, but the traffic here is quite heavy, and the organization has designated other routes for training that are easier to ride. We, the other two sports directors, will have to scout the Tirana lap by car."

In that first stage, Bennett will also get an idea of the balance of power in the battle for the purple points jersey in the Giro. "As far as the points jersey is concerned, it's important to see how the first week goes. There may be sprints where Mads Pedersen and Wout van Aert are in contention, but I'm not. You collect points but don't waste all your energy on them. You can always use more energy for those intermediate sprints if they are within reach. The main goal is to win a stage, that's clear. Although the points jersey is always in the back of your mind, of course."

Anyone who heard Bennett speak could hear the determination in his voice. A will to win that was lacking in former opponent and friend Caleb Ewan, who unexpectedly announced his immediate retirement on Tuesday. "Is this a question after Caleb's statement?” Bennett laughed. “For me, the hunger to win is still there. I still feel pain in my stomach when I lose, so I know I'm still really eager."

"As for Caleb, it was quite a shock for me," said Bennett, who honored his Australian competitor with a message on Instagram. "His palmares speak for themselves. What palmares don't tell you is how much fun he made training rides, how he pushed us both to become faster and most importantly, what an incredible father, husband and friend Caleb is. It was a pleasure to sprint against you. Whatever you do next, mate, you'll do it well."