Irish cycling fans are in celebratory mode today as Sam Bennett yesterday bridged a gap of more than three decades when he donned the green jersey of Points leader at the Tour de France.
The 29 year old will be hoping to emulate fellow Carrick on Suir man Sean Kelly who was the last Irish rider to win the classification overall back in 1989.
The race has already covered nearly 900 kilometres in the first five days with another 2,600 remaining before the race ends in Paris on Sunday fortnight.
Bennett’s former coach Martin O’Loughlin says as a sprinter Sam has nerves of steel.
“He’s very, very fast but he’s got fantastic bike control and he’s got very strong upper body strength and is well capable of holding his own.”
“It’s rough and tumble what he does – it requires a huge amount of nerve. Lots and lots of crashes – to be prepared to bounce off the road, leave some skin on the road, hop up and then go full gas for the line again.”
“It takes a certain mind set to be able to do that and Sam has it in spades.”
