Sam Bennett reclaims his throne at La Vuelta a España

There were 359 blank days, a long period without triumphs or celebrations, too much for a cyclist who had already achieved laurels in the three big ones (three in the Giro; two in the Vuelta; and another two in the Tour finished off with the green jersey in 2020).

But at the Frankfurt Grand Prix, with the first sun this past May, Sam Bennett caught the slipstream of his

Danny Van Poppel and raised his arms.

It was honey after the punishment he suffered in training, when he hurt his knee, when he seemed to lose top speed.

Ruled out by Bora-Hansgrohe for the Tour much to his chagrin, Bennett returned to La Vuelta with the gazuza of a wounded lion.

And, at the first change, as if it were a carbon copy of what happened in Frankfurt, he took the glory and the green jersey, a triumph of power.

Van Poppel was his guide again and in the last meters, the Belgian -Irish after all because he runs for the country of the clover because at the age of four he went to live there with his family-, bite by bite, pedaling with the body on the bike, homeric effort and suffering face, beat Sam Pedersen (Trek) and Tim Merlier (Alpecin), second and third,

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Summary and video of stage 2 of LaVuelta a España 2022

It was an unusual day, marked by leaks without much fuel and last-minute crashes, like the one suffered by Alejandro Valverde 700 meters from the finish line.

“It has not been a calm day, and the host is in

that there has been close to the finish line.

I think it's nothing.

They have fallen in front and I have not been able to avoid it;

I braked, but still I fell.

It seems that I'm fine ”, resolved the Murcian, already on his team's bus.

A few hours before, around the picturesque canals of Den Bosch, from where the peloton started, that nervousness was already noticeable, a few eager to show the jersey to television and, why not, to get the prize for competitiveness.

“The idea is to get into a breakaway, but it won't be easy.

Especially if the Wolrd Tour teams pull because there no longer who wants to escape but who can", they summarized from Euskatel.

But they were true to their word, because as soon as the stage curtain opened, Xabier Mikel Azparren jumped out along with four other riders: Jetse Bol (Burgos-BH, Julio van den Berg (EF),

The platoon shrugged it off right off the bat, as if they preferred to see the Loonse and Drunense National Park, a temperate coniferous forest, dunes and wetlands, also quicksand.

A small desert among the absolute green that covers the Dutch land.

But in the thick group that was chasing the escapees, the color that took the lead was the blue of Alpecin, determined to show character and reliability, control of the race to catapult Tim Merlier to the final sprint.

“The team has prepared with enthusiasm for these two stages before going to Spain, we know that Tim is one of the strongest sprinters and we have a lot of confidence in him”, summed up the Belgian team.

“Do you take over?” the Alpecin riders asked the Israel-Premier Tech riders twice.

But twice they were denied and twice they had to pick up the pace, as they reduced from five minutes to just 20 seconds in 70 flat kilometers, of bucolic landscape, wind and windmills, scattered houses and pasture land for horses. and cows, also many roundabouts which was everyone's great concern, once it was found that the wind was not whipping fiercely and there were no fans.

Although, satisfied with their exercise of authority, the Alpecin decided to give the quintet a reel again, which held the escape until there were 60 kilometers to go.

also many roundabouts which was everyone's great concern, once it was verified that the wind was not whipping fiercely and there were no fans.

Although, satisfied with their exercise of authority, the Alpecin decided to give the quintet a reel again, which held the escape until there were 60 kilometers to go.

also many roundabouts which was everyone's great concern, once it was verified that the wind was not whipping fiercely and there were no fans.

Although, satisfied with their exercise of authority, the Alpecin decided to give the quintet a reel again, which held the escape until there were 60 kilometers to go.

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Then a solitary Luis Ángel Maté (Euskaltel) wanted to mark himself, in solidarity in this Vuelta because he already warned that he would donate a tree for every kilometer that he rode on the run to repopulate Sierra Bermeja, near his Marbella, after the fire that suffered the previous year.

And there were 24 that he would have to give (plus 100 that he anticipated that he would donate because he did not know if he would manage to get into a breakout), absorbed by the peloton, already commanded by a concoction of teams, all concerned about launching their sprinters at the flying finish line.

But that glory went to Mads Pedersen (Trek-Segafredo), a true World Champion (2019) for whom a short start was enough to discount the few rivals who disputed it, since most had the goal on the horizon, 15 kilometers of high voltage.

And Pedersen almost did not repeat, voracious in the final sprint, capable of winning the position from Tim Merlier.

But not so to Bennett.

“I'm not in the best shape yet, but you could say I'm on the right track and pretty close.

The Vuelta is key to showing my best level”, accepted the Irishman, who congratulated his teammates.

Mike Teunissen did the same, who finished fourth and, because of the

, took the red jersey, leader of a Vuelta in which the sprinters claim their territory before the route gets steep.

Like Sam Bennett, who has already explained that he is back, that he wants to sit on the throne again.

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