Sam Bennett's legacy: 'The Roche/Kelly days aren't gone, they just have a new name'

Sam Bennett, wearing the best sprinter's green jersey, with Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar, centre, who won the overall yellow jersey, the best climber's polka dot jersey, and the best young rider's white jersey. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Sam Bennett wasn’t the only one struggling to digest what he had just done. Matt McKerrow was having difficulty comprehending the sheer scale of the achievement 24 hours later but Cycling Ireland’s CEO did have a very clear sense of what it could mean for the sport in this country.

Cycling was already picking up serious speed. The pandemic and subsequent lockdown has prompted an extra 250,000 Irish people to don their helmets and take to the roads so Bennett’s achievements come as an extra injection of pace in what was an already blistering spell.