Sam Bennett’s four victories in his debut season as a professional may have marked him out as the most successful rider on his NetApp Endura team, in terms of wins, but the German squad confirmed yesterday that he would not be riding this year’s Tour de France.
The NetApp Endura squad said that it was focussing on the general classification hopes of Leopold König, and therefore would field a team which would support the Czech rider.
Bennett is a sprinter and according to general manager Ralph Denk, there is concern that putting him into a race as hard as a Tour could hamper his development.
“We believe that a participation in this year’s Tour de France would come too early for Sam. Despite him being quite grown-up for his age, he is still young,” he said.
“He has only been racing his first six months as a professional cyclist. Obviously, I am more than satisfied with him being part of our team. But within the team management we have a responsibility for our riders that gives no space for any opportunistic short-term thinking.
“Our approach with Sam is much more long-term orientated. We want to build him up carefully and step-by- step. Compared to his last season, Sam raced a very intense program already and he did it very successfully.”
Disappointed
Bennett said he was disappointed with the news, having hoped that his strong run this season would see him gain a place.
Despite his victories in the Clasica de Almeria in March, the Rund um Köln in April then the fifth stage of the Bayern Rundfahrt at the start of this month, he said that his form had been less then than it is now, and that he felt he would have gained the team at least one high placing in the race.
“I don’t feel that my form was good in the first half of the season, but I feel it might be starting to come now,” he told the Irish Times. “I don’t know about a stage win but I definitely think I could have snuck a podium.”
He said that he is determined to have an even stronger second half to the season, and will use the next few weeks to build his condition prior to his next race with the team, the RideLondon Classic on August 10th.
Bennett will compete in this Sunday’s national road race championships in Multifarnham, Westmeath.
He will be up against fellow professionals such as Tour stage winner Dan Martin (Garmin Sharp), Philip Deignan (Sky) and Martyn Irvine (UnitedHealthcare), as well as defending champion Matt Brammeier, 2013 runner up Philip Lavery and Connor McConvey (all Synergy Baku).
