Sam Bennett said An Post-Chainreaction took him under their wing when he was badly injured. Sean Kelly and Kurt Bogaerts also got him medical treatment he couldn’t afford himself.
Sam Bennett praises An Post-Chainreaction support
With the future of An Post-Chainreaction in the balance Sam Bennett has said the team saved his career when he might have been finish.
The Carrick-on-Suit man explained he was badly injured, in both knees when the squad agree to take him under its wing.
And team management Sean Kelly and Kurt Bogaerts also got him costly medical treatment he said he couldn’t afford at the time.
Bennett scored a big win for the team in 2013 when he claimed a stage at the Tour of Britain.
From there he secured a place with ProContinental team NettApp-Endura.
That has since morphed into WorldTour squad Bora-hansgrohe, with which Sam Bennett has won six races this year.
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Sean Kelly at the team launch for the 2013 season with Irish riders Sam Bennett, Ronan McLaughlin, Sean Downey and Jack Wilson.
Bennett's old team is now under real pressure. And he has been quick to remember how it winched him to safety.
“I think a lot of young riders don’t realise how difficult life can be in the amateur ranks,” Bennett told The Irish Times.
“The support I got with An Post prepared me in the best possible way for the World Tour.”
When he was 18 years he was hit by a car while training. He was left with career threatening tendonitis in both knees and other injuries.
“My career was over unless someone took me under their wing and supported me back to full strength,” he said.
Sam Bennett grateful to An Post-Chainreaction
Bogaerts and Kelly took him on injured and he said he was “forever grateful”.
“They arranged for me to see an amazing surgeon in Belgium... I could never have afforded (the treatment) myself.”
He was on a long road to the pro ranks and the team never gave up on him. To read the full story on The Irish Times follow this link.
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