Sam Bennett has been so impressive in pre-season training he appears to have installed himself in the minds of team management as being worthy of protected rider status right from the start of the new campaign. Seen here at a recent training camp in Majorca.
Sam Bennett’s new NetApp-Endura team has said it has been very impressed with the Irish rider’s sprinting and his general form in recent training camps.
The ProContinental squad believe the former An Post-Chainreaction rider can play a significant part in its efforts to secure results from the beginning of the season, even suggesting Bennett’s form has been so good he could be at the forefront of that charge immediately.
In his appraisal of the team’s chances at the Tour of Qatar starting tomorrow, Sunday, sporting director Christian Pömer said its “speed department” was expecting to be busy in sprints that would be of “Tour de France level right from the start of the season”.
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He singled out Bennett and Austrian team mate Daniel Schorn as most likely among the squad to challenge in the anticipated sprint finishes in the mainly flat six-day. He added they would not only have to compete with some of the biggest name sprinters in the world, but would also need to deal with extreme heat and the dry and dusty wind of the desert.
Said Pömer: “Special notice may well fall on Irish newcomer, Sam Bennett, in addition to the routine sprinters on the team. At the final tests in the team training camp, he showed that he is to be counted on from the very beginning.
“For me it’s exciting to see how well the team succeeds in forming a real lead-out train. Our top sprinters have already proven that – if everything fits – they can compete with the best of them. Now if the team manages to bundle these strengths, I trust riders like Schorn and Bennett will pull off a real surprise.
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“However, it seems important to me for this synchronizing of sprinters is to not focus too much on the overall rankings. What counts is that over the course of the tour they manage to at least support the best sprinters in a sprint.”
The Tour of Qatar, which Bennett has ridden before with An Post-Chainreaction, takes place from tomorrow February 9th to 14th. Its six stages cover 715 kilometres over flat terrain, with one time trial.
Bennett will also ride the Tour of Oman which begins four days later, on February 18th, and runs until the 23rd of the month. It is hillier, but there are also two flat stages before the bruising summit finish atop Green Mountain puts shape on the overall standings.
Feb 9th-15th: Tour of Qatar (UCI 2.1)
1. Stage: Al Wakra - Dukhan Beach, 135.5km
2. Stage: Camel Race Track - Al Khor Corniche, 160.5km
3. Stage: Lusail - Lusail (ITT) 10.9km
4. Stage: Dukhan - Mesaieed, 135km
5. Stage: Al Zubara Fort - Madinat Al Shamal, 159km
6. Stage: Sealine Beach Resort - Doha Corniche, 113.5km
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