George Bennett finished seventh in the ninth stage of the Tour de France today in Andorra. The Team LottoNL-Jumbo rider from New Zealand was part of the early breakaway during the queen stage through Spain and Andorra, and managed to finish ahead of the peloton. Tom Dumoulin (Giant - Alpecin) attacked before the final climb and won solo.

“George Bennett delivered a beautiful stage and gave everything,” Sports Director Merijn Zeeman said. “Before the Tour de France, we chose this stage for him to give it a try. George is a lightweight, so it’s difficult for him to be part of the breakaway when the profile is flat. When the race starts uphill, like today, he has a bigger chance. He already showed that in the Dauphiné and in the Vuelta, and he was there today again.

“George was familiar with the penultimate climb and you might say that he was too eager in that part of the race, but I have to say that that climb suited him better than the last one, as well. George is developing and he should be proud of what he showed today.”

Enthusiasm

Bennett was one of the riders from the breakaway who survived the mountainous stage and just before the top of the Col de Beixalis, he tried to escape from the others in his group.

“I had the feeling that I was able to win this race today and enthusiasm took the better of me,” he said. “I might have done too much at that point, so I have to learn from it. It was awesome that the team gave me the chance to try it. It didn’t work out exactly like what I dreamed of, but it’s a start. Next time, I will wait to make a move until the final part of the race.”

In the beginning of the final climb to Arcalis, Bennett clashed with a spectator. “He stepped forward and didn’t look at me,” he added. “I clashed with him, so he fell. I managed to stay on my bike, but I feel bad that this happened. The fans need to realise that we need a little bit more space.”

Sour

Behind the breakaway, Wilco Kelderman wasn’t able to stay with the overall contenders. “Wilco fought, but obviously struggled with the damage from yesterday’s crash,” Zeeman added. “He isn’t able to ride how he should go when he’s fit, so that leaves a sour feeling. The rest day comes at the right moment for him. He has to recover.”

“I have a lot of pain, but in the adrenaline of the race, you manage to get through it,” Kelderman added. “I expected a heavy day, actually, but you’re always hoping that it goes better. I was dropped immediately on the final climb and rode to the top at my own pace.”

Mountain stage

The queen stage of the Tour de France was a big struggle for sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, as well. “He had to push through his limits,” Zeeman said. “He had to fight to get back into the gruppetto quite often. Dylan rode his first heavy mountain stage in the Tour de France, so he should be proud of surviving the Pyrenees.”