After two stage wins at the Bayern-Rundfahrt and a big win at the Tour of Qatar, Sam Bennett endured a hard middle part to his season after he couldn’t finish his debut Tour de France. But he is back at the Arctic Race of Norway and has already taken a stage at this race.

He spoke to VeloNews about his season, saying he went into the Tour underprepared and the illness that took him out of the race ruined his preparation for races after the Tour too.

“If I came out of it somewhat healthy, it would have been good for the body to go that deep and to go that long, racing double the amount that I’ve ever raced before, that’s something new. It would have been something positive, but I pulled out when I was sick, having some other problems going on, and then about a week later I had to start a nine-day course of antibiotics.”

One positive he has taken from his time in France is that he says he now knows how to survive on tough stages.

“You do learn a lot. I think I really learned to survive even more, which is something I needed to do, being a sprinter,” he said.

Despite having three wins, the Irishman still wants more from his 2015 season and says another two or three wins more will allow him to call 2015 a success.

“If I can finish the season strong, maybe get another two or three wins, I’d mark it as a success because I’d see there’s progress as well. Every year, I want to develop and step up a level. As of now, I feel like I’ve only equaled to what I did last year, so I don’t feel I’ve progressed, and that’s what I look for.”