Sam Bennett (cyclist)
 Bennett (2018) | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Sam Bennett |
| Born |
October 16, 1990 Wervik, Flanders, Belgium |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Weight | 69 kg (152 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Bora–Hansgrohe |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Sprinter |
| Amateur team(s) | |
| 2007–2010 | Vélo-Club La Pomme Marseille |
| 2010 | Française des Jeux (stagiaire) |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 2011–2013 | An Post–Sean Kelly |
| 2014– | NetApp–Endura |
| Major wins | |
| |
Sam Bennett (born October 16, 1990) is an Irish professional cyclist, who rides for Bora–Hansgrohe, a team he joined in 2014. He turned professional in 2011, and won three stages in the 2018 Giro d'Italia.
Career
Early career
Bennett was born in Wervik, Flanders, Belgium, where his father Michael played professional soccer for local club Eendracht Wervik. He moved with his parents to their native Ireland at the age of four, where he spent most of his early years growing up in Carrick-on-Suir, the hometown of fellow cyclist Sean Kelly.[1][2] Bennett was head-hunted by Vélo Club la Pomme, Marseille, at 17 and joined them in the south of France after he completed his first year of third level education at Waterford Institute of Technology (where he was embarking on an Honours Degree in Health and Exercise Studies). In 2009, Bennett rode, for the first time, the An Post Rás with the Carrick Wheelers Dan Morrissey squad. Bennett became the race's youngest ever stage winner in Clara on stage 5. During the 2010 season, Bennett won the Irish Under 23 championship in Sligo, aged 19. In 2011, Bennett left France and joined Sean Kelly's An Post Grant Thornton squad, under the tutelage of Manager Kurt Bogaerts. He again won the Irish Under 23 national championship and also the GP Stad Geel, a UCI 1.2 ranked one day race. The following year he finished 10th at the Road World U23 Championships in Limburg, and 7th in the U23 European Road Championship.
2013 season
In 2013 An Post–Chain Reaction moved up to pro continental level. Bennett won two stages in the An Post Rás (stage 3 into Listowel and stage 8 in Skerries), and stage 5 of the Tour of Britain, in which he also took two second places.
2014 season
Having joined Bora–Hansgrohe, Bennett took his first professional win at the UCI 1.1 ranked Classica de Almeria and won twice in Germany, the Rund um Koln and stage 5 of the 1.HC ranked Bayern-Rundfahrt into Nurberg.
2015 season
The season began, for Bennett, at the Tour of Qatar where he won stage 2, finishing in the Doha Corniche. Bennett took two stage wins at the 2015 edition of the 2.HC Bayern Runfahrt on stages 1 and 3. These victories earned Bennett his first professional points classification jersey. Bennett was involved in a mass crash at the end of the 2015 edition of Scheldeprijs.[3] Bennett began the 2015 Tour de France sick, having been diagnosed with a hernia on his diaphragm. He completed 16 stages of the race before abandoning the race. He returned to racing at The Arctic Race of Norway and won stage 2 into Setermoen and finished 2nd in the points classification to Alexander Kristoff. Bennett took his final win of the season at Paris Bourges (UCI 1.1) in a sprint finish.
2016 season
Bennett won the first stage of the (2.HC) Criterium International in Corsica. Bennett's 2016 Tour de France effort was affected by a crash that resulted in broken fingers on his right hand, but he continued to finish the race last in the general classification, and finishing in the top 10 on the final stage in Paris. After recovering from his injuries at the Tour, Bennett went on to take two stage wins at the (UCI 2.1) Giro Della Toscana Memorial Alredo Martini and won the points classification. The following month, he won his second consecutive Paris Bourges.
2017 season
On 7 March Bennett won Stage 3 of the 2017 Paris–Nice[4] Bennett went on to win 2 stages of the Tour of Slovenia in June 2017 and won the points classification. At the Czech Tour, he again won two stages and the points classification jersey. In September, he won the Sparkassen Munsterland Giro (HC1.1) in a photo-finish. In October, Bennett won four out of the six stages of the 2017 Tour of Turkey.[5]
2018 season
Bennett started the season in the 2018 Tour Down Under, despite having an illness.[6] He also started in the Paris Nice, but had to abandon midway through stage 3 due to a sickness.[7] At the Volta a Catalunya Bennett finished second on stage two. On 11 May 2018, he won his maiden grand tour victory with a sprint in Praia a Mare on stage 7 of the 2018 Giro d'Italia.[8] and went on to win stages 12 (Imola) and the final stage into Rome.[9]
Career achievements
Major results
- 2008
- 1st
- 1st Martin Donnelly Junior Tour[10]
- 2009
- 1st Alleins GP[11]
- 1st Stage 7 An Post Rás
- 5th Road race, National Under–23 Road Championships
- 2010
- 1st
- 1st Stage 4 Rhône-Alpes Isère Tour
- 7th Grand Prix de Vougy
- 8th Dijon–Auxonne–Dijon
- 2011
- 1st
- 1st GP van de stad Geel
- 5th Road race, National Road Championships
- 2012
- 3rd Ronde van Noord-Holland
- 8th Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem
- 9th Road race, UEC European Under–23 Road Championships
- 2013
- An Post Rás
- 1st Stages 3 & 8
- 1st Stage 5 Tour of Britain
- 1st Overall Suir Valley 3 Day
- 4th Schaal Sels-Merksem
- 4th Kernen Omloop Echt-Susteren
- 6th Puivelde Koerse
- 7th Dutch Food Valley Classic
- 10th Omloop van het Waasland
- 2014
- 1st Clásica de Almería
- 1st Rund um Köln
- Bayern–Rundfahrt
- 1st
- 1st Stage 5
- 1st
- 2nd ProRace Berlin
- 5th Scheldeprijs
- 6th RideLondon–Surrey Classic
- 2015
- 1st Paris–Bourges
- Bayern–Rundfahrt
- 1st Stages 1 & 3
- 1st Stage 6 Tour of Qatar
- 1st Stage 2 Arctic Race of Norway
- 4th Trofeo Playa de Palma
- 10th Trofeo Santanyi-SesSalines-Campos
- 2016
- 1st Paris–Bourges
- 1st Stage 1 Critérium International
- 2nd Trofeo Felanitx-Ses Salines-Campos-Porreres
- 3rd Eschborn-Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz
- 4th Trofeo Playa de Palma
- 5th Overall Giro di Toscana
- 1st Stage 2
- 7th Overall Tour of Qatar
- 8th Grand Prix de Fourmies
- 2017
- 1st Münsterland Giro
- Tour of Turkey
- 1st Stages 1, 2, 3 & 5
- Tour of Slovenia
- 1st
- 1st Stages 1 & 4
- 1st
- Czech Cycling Tour
- 1st
- 1st Stages 2 & 4
- 1st
- 1st Stage 3 Paris–Nice
- 2nd People's Choice Classic
- 8th London–Surrey Classic
- 10th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
- 2018
- 1st Rund um Köln
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stages 7, 12 & 21
- Tour of Turkey
- 1st
- 1st Stages 2, 3 & 6
- 1st
- 7th Eschborn–Frankfurt
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
— | — | 158 | 112 |
 |
DNF | 174 | — | — |
|
— | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
References
- ↑ Tracey, Cian (8 October 2014). "I almost gave up on my pro cycling dream - Bennett". independent.ie. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ↑ Kelly, Cillian (28 January 2015). "Bennett aims to start with a bang at Qatar and Oman". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 25 February 2015.
- ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/scheldeprijs-finale-marred-by-mass-crash
- ↑ "Ireland's Sam Bennett secures biggest win of his career in France". Irish Independent. 7 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
- ↑ "2017 Tour of Turkey". Cycling News. 15 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
- ↑ "Sam Bennett struck down with before Tour Down Under". Cycling Weekly. 8 January 2018. Retrieved 8 January 2018.
- ↑ http://www.stickybottle.com/latest-news/sam-bennett-abandons-paris-nice/
- ↑ "'I just went for it' - Sam Bennett on becoming the first Irishman in 30 years to win two Grand Tour stages". The 42. 11 May 2018. Retrieved 10 May 2018.
- ↑ "Ireland's Sam Bennett wins final stage of Giro d'Italia in thrilling sprint finish". The 42. 27 May 2018. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
- ↑ "Bennett secures Junior Tour title". Irish Independent. 2008-07-14.
- ↑ "BENNETT TAKES VICTORY IN FRANCE". Irish Cycling. 2009-08-03. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26.