Sam Bennett looks like he will be riding in the WorldTour next year. Above, pictured with a young fan during a recent charity event.
With four-time national road race champion Matt Brammeier having become a WorldTour rider again in the off season when his team graduated from ProContinental rank, Sam Bennett looks set to follow his lead.
The Carrick-on-Suir man’s Bora-Argon 18 has never hid its desire to be part of pro cycling’s top tier.
And with the Tour de France starting in its native Germany next year it has fixed 2017 as the first season it will compete as a WorldTour outfit.
The squad has already contested the Tour de France twice – 2014 and 2015 – and also ridden the Giro d’Italia and Vuelta.
And now it believes it is ready to make the big step into the WorldTour.
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Bennett has a clause in his contract which stipulates if a better offer from a bigger team comes his way, he can take it.
However, team manager Ralph Denk has given the strongest indication yet that the Irishman’s current employer will be part of the big league very soon and in time for the Tour’s 2017 Grand Départ in Düsseldorf.
“Since five years we work now very hard for our big goal,” he said in a statement confirming German road champion Emanuel Buchmann has extended his contract to the end of 2018.
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“We rode all three Grand Tours and also had some successes. But now it is truly time to become a member in cycling’s elite club.
“It would be my personal biggest success to be at the Grand Départ 2017 in Düsseldorf with Bora-Argon 18 as a WorldTour team.
“And I have to say that I am very confident that we can achieve that, and celebrate then together with German cycling.”
However, while the team was ambitious to move up Denk said its emphasis was on continuing to help younger riders develop in a positive environment.
“We always told everybody that we want to support young riders on their way to the top of the cycling world.
“Because of our long-term partnership with our main sponsor BORA we can also provide a solid economic environment.
“This is the basis to work with talents calmly, support them without too much pressure.”
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