Sam Bennett to Deceuninck-QuickStep: The boss of the Belgian WorldTour team has confirmed interest in Irish cyclist Bennett and believes he has signed him, according to his own comments in the Belgian media. Above, in the green jersey after his two Paris-Nice stage wins earlier this year
Sam Bennett is close to confirming a transfer to Deceuninck-QuickStep,
according to the boss of the Belgian WorldTour outfit Patrick Lefevere.
The Belgian team boss said yesterday at the Tour
de France that Elia Viviani, who won stage 4 on Tuesday, was leaving the squad.
He added the team needed a replacement sprinter
and it believed Sam Bennett was coming in to be that man.
It would be a dream move for Bennett as he would be the team’s top sprinter. The squad has a proven record of helping sprinters win repeatedly.
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And while there are other fast men in the team, they are young and Bennett would be the clear top sprinted in the line-up.
In recent days French media reports suggested
Viviani was moving to Cofidis and that Bennett was coming into Deceuninck-QuickStep
to replace the Italian.
And now Patrick Lefevere has all but confirmed
Bennett is about to arrive. He has certainly said he believes he has the
Irishman lined up for next year.
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“It goes without saying that we had to look for an alternative to Viviani. We think we found that with Bennett,” Lefevere told Het Nieuwsblad.
Speaking to the Belgian newspaper Lefevere also said he had an oral agreement with Bennett. However, he expected a signature would confirm the deal next month.
If he goes to Deceuninck-QuickStep that team would become the sixth, technically speaking, that Bennett has signed for.
Very early in his career he had a trial lined up
with Francaise des Jeux. He intended to ride as a stagiaire for
the last portion of 2010 but injury prevented him taking his place.
There followed three seasons with the An Post-Sean Kelly
team. During Bennett’s final season there, in 2013, he won a stage of the Tour
of Britain.
After winning that race he was offered a place with
ProContinental team NetApp-Endura. He rode during 2014 with the ProContinental
team.
That team then stayed at ProContinental level for the following two years but changed sponsors and was called Bora-Argon 18.
And in 2017 it moved up to WorldTour level as
Bora-hansgrohe, the team Sam Bennett has ridden for the past three seasons.
The Irish cyclist's contract expires at the end of this year, leaving him free to take a transfer elsewhere.
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