Sam Bennett: "I still miss a little top end power, but it is getting better and better"

Sam Bennett started his season off strong at the UAE Tour but he reported a lack of form at Paris-Nice which has translated into a lack of results throughout most of the spring. With the Tour of Turkey on his current schedule, the third place in yesterday's stage will have given him some motivation as he looks to improve on his condition.

“It was a very fast finale due to the tailwind. The fight for positions was quite hard and there have been also some crashes, but the boys did once again a great job to keep me out of trouble the whole day, and also in the end they have been amazing," Bennet said after the stage. After staying safe - unlike for example Arkéa-Samsic duo Nairo Quintana and Nacer Bouhanni - he has gone for the sprint where he was close to the win.

"After the last corner I was sitting in Danny’s wheel and the position was very good. When Caleb [Ewan] opened his sprint, he wasn’t fresh enough and didn’t really accelerate which surprised me, so I got stuck a little behind him while on the right side Philipsen and Groves passed. I tried to accelerate but it was already too late. But I am happy with the progression over the last weeks, and I am not far away from being really competitive again. I still miss a little top end power, but it is getting better and better," he concluded.

Today Bennett is one of the favourites for the third stage of the Tour of Turkey, and with some motivation and a strong leadout, Bennett will be targeting once again his first win of the season.