With its big general classification rider gone and having signed a new lead-out man, the focus of Sam Bennett's team is very much moving in his favour. Above, celebrating victory in Rund um Koln in April.
By Brian Canty
Ireland’s Sam Bennett has said the addition of Shane Archbold combined with the loss of Leopold Konig is proof that his Bora-Argon 18 team will target more sprint-based races next year.
Talented New Zealander Archbold is a former teammate of Bennett’s at An Post Chainreaction.
The duo are hoping to next year replicate some of the success they achieve in 2013, including Rás stage wins, on much bigger stages when they ride together again in the new colours of the German ProContinental team formerly known as NetApp-Endura.
Konig was the team’s best general classification rider but after he was snapped up by Team Sky it became clear Bennett’s team were shifting focus.
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At the 'Evening with the Pros' event in Co Meath on Thursday night, Bennett is now in demand more and more off the bike (Photo: Toby Watson)
“We do still have some GC riders,” Bennett told stickybottle.
“We’ve a guy in from BMC, Dominic Nerz; he’s our GC man and we’ll still have that card to play.
“But I think now we’ll be a little bit more sprint-focused and I hope to improve on this year. It’s fantastic to have another guy I can count on in a bunch gallop.
“Zak (Dempster) has always done an amazing job but to have someone added to that, who has a bit of grunt and is also clever, is better again.
“And if me and Shane can continue to ride the bunch sprints together so that the team isn’t changing the whole time, and if we can get used to each other in races; we can get consistency and we should fly.
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"I think it’ll be a great move and hopefully we can get more results with him.”
Winning the last stage in the Rás into Skerries in 2013 with Archbold in 3rd place. It's scenes like this the Irish-Kiwi combination will be looking to replicate next year now they are reunited in their German ProContinental team (Photo: Sportsfile)
Bennett admitted he played a role in bringing in the Kiwi track star.
“The team were looking for a lead-out man and they knew he helped me in the past.
"So once he got that second place in the Tour of Britain stage to Exeter this year the team actually came to me and said ‘we’re interested in Shane’.
“He was really strong that day in the break and held on for second.
“He could have won the stage so they asked me what did I think of him and is he good. And I said ‘he’s fantastic and he’d fit the role brilliantly’.
“So they made up their own minds after that and he got himself on the team really.”
Yesterday, Bora – Argon 18 released their full roster for next year and it is as follows
Shane Archbold (25, NZL), Jan Barta (29, CZE), Phil Bauhaus (20, GER), Cesare Benedetti (27, ITA), Sam Bennett (24, IRL), Emanuel Buchmann (21, GER), Zak Dempster (27, AUS), Bartosz Huzarski (34, POL), Patrick Konrad (23, AUT), Ralf Matzka (25, GER), Jose Mendes (29, POR), Dominik Nerz (25, GER), Christoph Pfingsten (26, GER), Cristiano Salerno (29, ITA), Andreas Schillinger (31, GER), Daniel Schorn (26, AUT), Michael Schwarzmann (23, GER), Björn Thurau (26, GER), Scott Thwaites (24, GBR), Paul Voss (28, GER)
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