Sam Bennett was again frustrated at the end of stage two of the Tour of Britain on Monday, waving one arm and shaking his head from side to side on finishing fourth into Wrexham.
As was the case on stage one, Wout van Aert led out his Jumbo-Visma team-mate Olav Kooij inside the final 500 metres. Bennett was on the wheel of his Bora-hansgrohe team leadout man Danny van Poppel, but amid a twisting and turning run-in to the line, it appeared that the latter held back the timing of his effort and went for the sprint instead of Bennett.
In the absence of a reaction afterwards from Bennett, it is hard to tell if he was annoyed at Van Poppel or with how the stage end played out, but either way he didn’t get a chance to fully launch his sprint.
Van Poppel was second, Van Aert third and Bennett was next across the line.
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This season has been a difficult one for Bennett, with multiple instances of things not working out as planned. He has three wins to his credit, but also five second places, four third places and now three placings of fourth.
That all translates into numerous near-misses, in some instances down to a slight lack of his usual finishing speed, sometimes due to issues with the timing of his leadout train.
Not being selected for either the Tour de France nor the Vuelta a España have compounded this frustration and, amid the all-but-certain prospect of a move to another team next year, he will be keen for a reset.
For now he will keep trying in the Tour of Britain. Many of the upcoming stages are likely to end in sprints, handing him further opportunities. As a rider who thrives on momentum, one win would likely herald several more.
