Cycling news - George Bennett clarifies 'three ribs removed' quotes with amusing tweet

Bennett had surgery three weeks ago in order to cure side stitch problems after being diagnosed with "slipping rib syndrome." He had suffered for years with problems with his side.

The problem meant that in times of physical exertion he would suffer stabbing pains in his chest, and he has undergone surgery as a result.

Speaking to Cycling News, he said: "I had a big operation a couple of weeks ago and I hope that will help. I've had the side stitch for ages and it slowed me down a lot this year.

"Every time I go hard I get this stabbing pain in my side. The surgery is pretty drastic measures but I've essentially had three ribs removed. That makes it sound worse than it is but each one was around 8cm long and made up of cartilage."

He has subsequently provided further details and clarity on the surgery, adding that "it was loose cartilage taken out" in an amusing post on Twitter.

The 29-year-old is not yet ready to return to action, but he expects to go back to work in the near future.

He explained: "I've had a couple of operations before, some exploratory work all hoping to fix the stitch but we're optimistic that we've now found the fix. I've been optimistic a few times and had surgery before but it's not worked but I almost think that I can ride a bike in a week or so."

Bennett acknowledged that it was a risk to take such a course of action, saying: "For me, I love cycling and it's an easy job for me. I don't struggle to find the passion for it but it's not sustainable when every time you go hard you feel a knife in your stomach.

"We sat down, talked with the family and my girlfriend, and decided that I'm not halfway through my career and that my best years are still ahead of me. I want to be able to make the most of it. If this works it will open up a lot more doors for me. I back off in training not just racing because of this, so we'll see how this goes."