Bennett wins Gran Piemonte and provides Team Jumbo-Visma with a new day of glory
George Bennett has gone solo in Barolo to clinch a magnificent victory in Gran Piemonte. With that, the New Zealander provided Team Jumbo-Visma with the eleventh victory of the season.
After a smooth start on the hilly course, the pace increased during the final lap of the local circuit. The team, led by Addy Engels, was actively at the front during the entire race. After the early breakaway was reeled in, the battle in the peloton broke loose. On La Morra, the final climb, Bennett went on the attack and he managed to hold on until the finish line.
Bennett: “I wanted to wait until the toughest part of the race. I was worried it wouldn’t be difficult enough, so I had already asked my teammates to make the race as tough as possible. They did a great job and positioned me well all day long. Paul Martens and Koen Bouwman set the pace and Chris Harper made the last climb super tough. I still had to be careful with the rain on the descent, but I went as fast as I could.“
Earlier, in the Tour de l'Ain, Bennett had shown that he is in good shape. Therefore he was free to go for his own chances in Piemonte. It resulted in his second professional victory of his career.
"I knew I only had two days this season to go for my own chance. One of them was today. The other one will be next Saturday in Il Lombardia. After that I go back to work as a domestique. So when I saw that I had the possibility today, I knew I had to go for it. I hoped that I could stay away until the end and I did”, Bennett said