من الأشهر اليوم؟

Sam Bennett’s preparation for the Tour de France has received a considerable setback with his scheduled start in the Baloise Belgium Tour on Wednesday now not set to go ahead. The Carrick-on-Suir rider, who won two stages plus the green jersey in last year’s Tour, will miss the warm-up event due to injury.
Bennett’s Deceuninck-QuickStep team announced the news on Tuesday afternoon. “Following a small incident in training last weekend, Sam Bennett has incurred a problem with his right knee,” it said in a statement. “After consultation with our medical team, it has been decided that he will not start this week’s Belgium Tour and will instead take some rest ahead of the Tour de France.”
It added that he will be replaced on the team’s roster by the British sprinter Mark Cavendish.
Although the Baloise Belgium Tour is just five days in length, it was set to play an important role in Bennett’s build-up for the Tour de France. He last competed back on May 9th on the final stage of the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal, and has been training for the Tour since then.
The Belgian event would have been his first race in a month.
Bennett’s Tour success last year was followed by a stage win in the Vuelta a España, and confirmed his position as the best sprinter in pro cycling. He has continued in the same manner this season, winning seven races thus far.
These included two stages in the aforementioned Volta ao Algarve. He is set to leave the Deceuninck-QuickStep team at the end of the season, but the squad recently confirmed he would be its designated sprint leader for the Tour de France.
A team spokesperson confirmed to the Irish Times on Tuesday that medical staff believe the injury will not derail his participation in the Tour.
However, the lack of other events between now and the Tour means he looks likely to line out at the race start on June 26th with a 48-day gap in competition. Given that his main sprint rivals will likely all have competed beforehand, this could disadvantage Bennett early on in the race.