Sam Bennett Photo: IC
Beaten pre-race favorite Sam Bennett said he had ruined his recipe for winning Sunday's Gent-Wevelgem classic by "eating too much."
The in-form Irish sprinter arrived at the start line with five wins already under his belt this season.
The 30-year-old had won two stages at both the Paris-Nice and UAE Tour stage races before storming the Bruges-La Panne classic on Wednesday.
Bang there until 15 kilometres from the finish line on Sunday, he suddenly hit a wall, eventually trailing in 55th behind Wout van Aert.
"I made a stupid mistake, I ate too much," the rider with Belgium team Deceuninck Quick-Step admitted to Belga radio.
"I wanted to fill up my reserves of energy as much as possible and I stuffed myself," explained the 2020 Tour de France sprint king.
"It wasn't a great idea. The combination of lactic acid and a too full stomach meant I vomited.
"I imploded in the final 15km with my race over."