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“ attling for the
B green jersey is , at times , like playing chess – at more than 60km / h .” Sam Bennett ’ s remark highlights the strategy needed in the fight for the points classification . Last year ’ s winner of a classification that had been dominated by ‘ green giant ’ Peter Sagan ( who has won it seven times ), the Irish rider mastered the moves and savoured the successful achievement of his 2020 Tour objective . “ What I enjoyed most of all during this adventure was the team spirit that we had during the whole race ,” says the rider from the Belgian Deceuninck-QuickStep team . “ The involvement we each had in a fight that
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quickly became a daily battle gave the success a special flavour . To beat Sagan , a rider for whom I have a lot of respect and who has written himself into the history of the Tour by winning the green jersey for so many years , was very special .”
Winner of the Champs- Élysées stage in his distinctive jersey , Bennett says that the final few hundred metres of the 2020 Tour are forever engraved in his memory . “ It ’ s odd , because the speed in this sprint on the most beautiful avenue in the world is extremely high . Yet I ’ m able to think it through almost in slow motion , breaking down my movements and feeling every emotion return . To win this mythical stage in this symbolic jersey is everything
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that a sprinter can dream of in the Tour . To be able to relive the magic of that moment would be a huge privilege , but the challenge is just as huge as it was .” In a 2021 edition that should offer the peloton ’ s ‘ rocket men ’ the opportunity to put themselves in the spotlight on a regular basis , Bennett knows that the fight for the green jersey will be fierce . In addition to the pure sprinters , riders like Peter Sagan , Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel , assuming he stays in the race until the finish , could all be candidates for the green jersey .
“ There could be as many as eight opportunities for the bunch sprint specialists to win a stage ,” says the Irishman . “ But the global
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level of sprinting is so high at the moment that we ’ ll probably have to fight as much in the intermediate sprints as we do at the finishes in order to contest the points classification . So , the team will decide what we should focus on .”
Fighting for the green jersey over three weeks often means sacrificing some precious strength when it comes to looking for a stage victory . Frenchman Arnaud Démare , another contender for the points classification , explains : “ It ’ s true that taking part in an intermediate sprint inevitably consumes some energy . But skipping them can also be a big risk if you happen to miss out at the stage finish . It ’ s a difficult choice sometimes .” Just like in a game of chess ... ●
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PHOTOGRAPHS : FRANCK FAUGERE / L ’ ÉQUIPE |
22 | TOUR DE FRANCE 2021
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