Bennett currently sits on a total 298 points, leading second-placed Sagan by 54 and third-placed Trentin by 65 in what has been a very strong campaign so far by the Irishman.
But the 166km journey to Champagnole has the potential to shake up the rankings, with 20 points up for grabs at the intermediate sprint, and another 50 at the finish line, meaning a stellar ride by Sagan or Trentin could give a huge boost to their podium chances.
Bennett was glad to have put further space between his challengers after a testing Stage 18, as he acknowledged he could have given up ground as every ride becomes crucial until Paris.
"I knew at the start of the stage that it was very important and that the boys were going to help me, because [Matteo] Trentin and [Peter] Sagan would have gotten a lot of points," Bennett said. "My focus was first that intermediate sprint and then the rest of the stage, which was not so pleasant."
"We found ourselves in a big breakaway, so some guys weren’t happy because I would follow up to the front but not roll through, and I was kind of playing cat and mouse with them."
"I was happy to get the points, and now I think I’m above 50 points so, it’s kind of like, if something happened, there’s a bit of security. It was good to be there because it meant that when we got to the first big climb, I could set my own tempo and settle in. I didn’t expect them to come up so fast behind.
"This won’t stop until Paris. I am [optimistic] but I try not to think about it - just in case."
This will be a sprint stage not to be missed as we close in on the Champs-Élysées.
How to watch Stage 19 of the 2020 Tour de France:
21:30 AEST on SBS / streaming via SBS On Demand
SA/NT - 21:30 on SBS / 21:00 streaming via SBS On Demand
WA - 19:30 on SBS VICELAND - 21:30 switch to SBS / 19:30 streaming via SBS On Demand
