Sam Bennett, who settled for fifth place in the elite men's road race at the European Championships in Munich, insisted he can take solace from his performance as he heads into the Vuelta a España, which starts Friday in Utrecht.

Bennett's 2021 season was ruined by injury, and he has struggled for form since returning to Bora-Hansgrohe from Quick Step earlier this year; his only win in 2022 came in Eschborn-Frankfurt, where he competed in the Tour de France He was not selected by Bora-Hansgrohe to compete in the Tour de France.

On Sunday, Bennett finished fifth in a race won by former teammate Fabio Jacobsen (Netherlands) and was part of a group sprint to decide the European title.

"It was a really dangerous circuit. I rode alone for the last few kilometers, which was probably better because I could have chosen my own wheels," Bennett told RTÉ (open in new tab) after the race.

"But I made a little mistake in the last 500-600 meters and maybe I should have moved up one or two places. But it's a step in the right direction and it gives me a little bit more confidence for the Vuelta."

The 208-km race is always likely to finish in a group sprint, and Bennett correctly guessed that Tim Merlier's Belgian team and Jacobsen's Dutch team would be the wheels following the final lap.

"I was watching the Belgians because they were really well put together," Bennett said. 'I saw the Dutch move up in the standings and I knew I had to go for it. Fabio's last man was teammate Danny Van Poppel. Fabio's last man was teammate Danny Van Poppel. He knew it was the wheel to ride in the last 600 meters, but he put Arnaud Demare of France on it. But he waited.

Last week, Bennett's position in Bora-Hansgrohe's Vuelta lineup was confirmed, and while the team focused on the overall with Jai Hindley and Sergio Iguita, the Carrick-on-Suir man was Van Poppel and his compatriot Ryan Mullen will lead him in the sprint.

In his 2019 Vuelta debut, Bennett won in Alicante in the opening week and then won Oviedo on stage 14 with a surprisingly long ride. In the 2020 event, which was postponed due to the pandemic, Bennett brought his Tour de France form to the Vuelta, winning stage 4 at Ejea de los Caballeros.

Bennett expressed confidence that he was finally on an upward trajectory, but admitted that his form was still lacking.

"I had more power today. It's still a little ways to go, but everything is working," Bennett said. 'I think the conditions are just a little bit more there. If we can do that, we'll be back on track. It just takes time to get back to the top level."