Sam Bennett will make his long-awaited season debut on Wednesday, lining up at Nokere Koerse to mark his comeback from heart surgery.
The Irish sprinter moved from Decathlon CMA CGM to Pinarello-Q36.5 over the winter but has yet to pin a number to the kit of his new team after being diagnosed with atrial fibrillation towards the end of last year.
The 35-year-old underwent a cardiac ablation procedure on November 18, and has since faced a long road back to full racing fitness.
"Once I got a certain amount into recovery for the heart, the fitness actually progressed quite quickly. But what I noticed was that it felt like training an injured muscle again, like any other muscle in the body," Bennett said ahead of Nokere Koerse.
"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.
"My general fitness is very good — the base and the zone two 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."
Nokere Koerse is a Belgian semi-classic taking place on Wednesday, with a 186.4km route that features cobbles and climbs but often favours the hardier sprinters.
It's a race that suits Bennett's capabilities but he's under no illusions about how he'll perform from the get-go after such a long lay-off.
"For me it’s more of a wildcard – to test the water, race on instinct and see where I am. I just want the freedom to race naturally and see what happens," he said, backing Matteo Moschetti as Pinarello-Q36.5's leader.
"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 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."
