The Tour de France may be continuing without him, but Sam Bennett's ride in the race and his frankness when describing what he pushed his body through have endeared him to a huge number of fans, new and old.
Long before the race started in Utrecht almost three weeks ago, Bennett had enjoyed some fantastic results and been a model pro off the bike.
There are plenty of reasons to really like the 24-year-old sprinter for Carrick-on-Suir with the big future ahead of him; here's 10 good ones we could think of.
1 He’s a great rider
Already with seven wins since moving up to ProContinental 18 months ago, Bennett continues to develop at a really impressive rate. He could take over 50 wins in the 10 to 15 years racing stretched out ahead of him if he remains illness and injury free.
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2 He’s already inspiring Irish kids
A young Castlebar CC man hangs out by the Bora-Argon 18 team bus on the Tour for a chat with Bennett.
3 He’s a fighter
It’s easy to forget that Bennett has suffered a lot from injury during his career to date. But an operation on his knees two years ago put him onto the longest injury-free spell he has ever enjoyed. And his willingness to fight through the hard times has been rewarded in the last couple of seasons, starting with his Tour of Britain stage win two years ago. Hell, he even has a fighting Irish Leprechaun on his bike stem and matching bidon.
4 Despite illness he jumped at his Tour chance
He may have abandoned the Tour de France on stage 17 yesterday, but it was clear for the last week or so that Bennett was getting more shattered as the days ticked by. A great first half of the season was derailed by illness that wiped out his racing for a month before his first Grand Tour began last Saturday fortnight. But he applied himself fully and fought on for longer than many riders would have.
5 He bagged a result
At full fitness and on a day when luck went his way, Bennett might have nicked a Tour stage win or certainly made the podium. But despite being far from his best, he still managed 10th place in the bunch sprint on stage 7 into Fougères, above.
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6 He’s a decent guy
His attitude and approach now are exactly the same as they’ve always been. He’s level headed and accessible and hasn’t let success and his growing fame go to his head.
7 He always has time for Irish fans abroad
Some days were tough on the Tour, but once the fans came out to support him Bennett gave them his time.
8 He’s a sprinter from Carrick
There’s something exciting and slightly crazy about sprinters in the pro peloton and the fact Bennett comes from the same hometown as King Kelly simply adds to his appeal. His speed at the finish gives Irish fans and the Irish media an interest in sprint finishes for the first time since Kelly in his heyday.
9 He’s making the best of his talent
Having been one of the few Irish riders to progress from Continental level of ProContinental, Bennett has already repaid the trust his Bora-Argon 18 team has put in him by winning races. And he’s won half of them in his team’s native Germany. The squad has backed him further with an extended contract and lead-out train; both developments the result of his hard work and talent and his opening the door wide when opportunity knocked.
10 He’ll be back
The events of yesterday when he left the Tour de France will undoubtedly take a while to digest and his body will take some time to recover. But as sure as night follows day Sam Bennett will bounce back and he'll be even physically stronger and mentally tougher for this very testing experience.
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