Irish sprinter Sam Bennett joined Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling this year
Sam Bennett
Sam Bennett will make his return to the peloton tomorrow for the first time since undergoing heart surgery last November.
The Irish sprinter hasn’t raced since last October but has been named on the start list by his new team Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling for the Nokere-Koerse one-day race in Belgium.
In January Bennett revealed to the Irish Independent that he underwent an ablation procedure in Germany to address an atrial fibrillation, which causes the heart to beat irregularly. The 35-year-old had woken suddenly from his sleep on November 14 with heart palpitations and after consultation with a heart specialist Bennett was operated on in Frankfurt.
The procedure delayed his return to racing this year for his new team, but after a patient recovery period and subsequent return to fitness, the former Tour de France green jersey winner is ready for racing, though is still unsure how strong he will be.
“Once I got a certain amount into recovery for the heart, the fitness actually progressed quite quickly,” said Bennett. “But what I noticed was that it felt like training an injured muscle again, like any other muscle in the body.
“I was describing it recently like this: you push to a limit, that becomes the normal zone, and then you push to the next limit. It was really like retraining the heart gradually.
Sam Bennett
“My general fitness is very good, the base and the zone 2 work feel normal again. What still needs time are the repeated high efforts and time in VO2 max. That’s something you can’t rush. This race will be exciting because it’s a chance to see where I am. It’s a learning curve, to understand what’s good, what’s not good and what I still need to work on.
“It’s strange to have the nerves of the first race of the season this late in March, but I’m excited. Nervous as well, in a good way, and really looking forward to racing again. It’s a different style, but I’m excited for it. It will be really nice to race with the guys and properly be part of the team. Everyone has been incredibly supportive, but until you train and race together you’re still watching a bit from the sidelines.”
The Belgian semi-classic is 186km long and features top sprinters like Jasper Philipsen, Fabio Jakobsen, Jordi Meeus and Pascal Ackermann.