Sam Bennett appears to have been left out of the Bora-hansgrohe team for the Tour de France after the World Tour team took the very usual step of naming its team for the French Grand Tour, minus one rider.
The German squad had made positive sounds less than two weeks ago about Bennett being picked for the race but now it seems those indications he would be picked have come to nothing.
The team has said it will name its final rider for its Tour de France roster after this weekend, when national championships are held across Europe.
However, in a very brief statement it also said the final rider will be a climber. And barring some change of mind, that appears to mean Ireland's Bennett will not be riding the Tour de France next month. It is the second time in two years - and the second time since Bennett returned to the team on a two-year contract - he would not be on the start line.
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While stickybottle cannot be absolutely certain he won't be picked, the team said "the eighth rider will be another mountain rider and the decision on who gets the last place in our team will be on the weekend". Obviously it is very hard to see how Bennett - a bunch sprinter - could be regarded as a "mountain rider".
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That news, which makes it all but certain he has not been selected, also means Ryan Mullen is not selected for the race, which is another major disappointment.
The seven riders named by Bora-hansgrohe so far are: Emanuel Buchmann, Marco Haller, Jai Hindley, Bob Jungels, Jordi Meeus, Nils Politt and Danny van Poppel.
While Van Poppel is one of Bennett's lead-out men, this is the second year in a row he has been picked for the Tour when the Irishman has not. However, he can be a versatile rider in working as domestique and also taking his chances in some sprints, especially from reduced bunches or breakaways.
The inclusion of Jordi Meeus ahead of Bennett - assuming the Irishman is not selected - is perhaps more of a surprise. The young German is a good sprinter, but he is nowhere close to the calibre of Bennett.
More to come.
