George Bennett arrived with the classification stars in the ninth stage of the Vuelta a España today near Oviedo. Team LottoNL-Jumbo’s New Zealander, supported by Robert Gesink for a long time, placed 28 but in the same time as the race’s big guns. Spaniard David De La Cruz (Etixx - Quick Step) won the stage and took the overall lead.

“It felt good today,” Gesink explained. “I started this Vuelta without expectations. The most important thing is to finish a grand tour, looking forward to next year.

“It’s going well so far. The first nine stages weren’t easy and it was a little bit painful sometimes to notice that I don’t have the level to fight for top results. It’s going in the right direction, I’m reaching my old rhythm and I’m satisfied about that.”

Strong group

Team LottoNL-Jumbo also wanted to be part of the breakaway in the ninth stage, but the four riders marked to do so were unable. “Victor Campenaerts, Koen Bouwman, Martijn Keizer and Bram Tankink tried,” Sports Director Jan Boven said. “They weren’t strong enough to go along with the eventual breakaway, unfortunately. A strong group of riders rode free and we immediately felt that they were going to fight for the stage win.

“We changed plans quickly to work for George Bennett. That went quite well. I enjoyed watching Robert Gesink deliver such good work for George. He was in a good position for a long time.”