Sam Bennett back at winning ways a year after: "It was definitely about time to win a race again"

Sam Bennett had struggled with a knee injury which took him out of competition for the greater majority of the end of 2021, and had problems getting up to form this year upon his return to BORA-hansgrohe. Hence, it was an emotional day for the Irishman as he returned to his winning ways today after almost exactly one year without celebrating.

“Today everything worked out perfectly! My last win was already 350 days ago and it was definitely about time to win a race again - I’m more than happy this worked out today," Bennett said in a post-race interview. Whether he's got top form or not remains unanswered, however he managed to go over the climbs around Frankfurt with the peloton as the pace was not aggressive throughout the day.

That meant it was all to play for in the sprint. "Right off the gun the team put their stamp on the race and worked very hard for me," he added. BORA were relatively absent in the lead-out to the finish, but when Danny van Poppel hit the win in the final 400 meters with Bennett in the wheel, it was a perfect combination as the duo once again timed their move to perfection - only this time Bennett was the fastest towards the line and took a big win.

"Danny van Poppel did a great lead out in the end and the only thing I had to do was to bring it to the line. About 100km from the finish I had to deal with cramps but luckily I was able to recover before the fast finale in Frankfurt. I really want to thank everyone who believed in me," he concluded.

The win also came at an important day, as Bennett will now take some time to recover from the first part of the season, in order to prepare for the Tour de France.