National champion George Bennett is turning the heat up on his preparations for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics after struggling in the cold at the recent Giro d’Italia.
Bennett is bracing for weather “40 degrees” warmer than it was in Italy, when his Giro campaign came unstuck inside the first week due to the miserable conditions that greeted riders on stages four and six.
The slender Jumbo-Visma rider admitted he was not suited to the cold, and was bitterly disappointed to drop out of general classification contention so early in the race after arriving with top-five ambitions.
But he will not encounter the same problem in Japan, with “extreme” hot and humid weather expected during the 234km men’s road race on Mount Fuji, which features 4865m of elevation gain.
“What undid me in the Giro was five degrees, rain, terrible weather. It’s just not for a guy like me,” Bennett said.
“But I’m happy to put that behind me and happy to be back focusing on training for Tokyo, and it’s completely different. It’s probably 40 degrees warmer, and it’s a perfect course for a guy like me.
“I’m not thinking too much about the Giro any more, that’s in the rearview mirror and that’s how you move forward; you set new goals and go for those. It’s the only way to move past disappointing races.”
