Bennett with confidence to final weekend of Paris-Nice

Bennett with confidence to final weekend of Paris-Nice

George Bennett has come through the sixth stage of Paris-Nice without any major problems. The leader of Team Jumbo-Visma didn’t lose time and finished in the first peloton, which sprinted for the stage win. He remains thirteenth in the overall standings, with two mountain stages ahead.

The sixth stage evolved in a surprising way. Because of the Mistral, a strong northern wind, the peloton broke into three parts. George Bennett didn’t miss the split and Bert-Jan Lindeman supported him to keep him out of trouble.

Sports director Nico Verhoeven looked back on the stage with mixed feelings. “The intention was to go for a sprint with Dylan. That didn’t work out. After the first climb, the wind played an important role after which the peloton broke into several groups on the undulating roads and in the descent. We were a bit too far back at that time. We tried to bring everything back together, but we received little support. On the other hand, George didn’t miss the front group and he is still well-placed overall. A top ten is still possible. That's what we are aiming for.”

Above all Bennett was happy that he stayed on his bike. “I was caught up in a few big crashes, but I was lucky to stay on two wheels. Bert-Jan did a great job by staying with me. I look forward to the mountain stages. Anything is still possible.”

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