Irish cyclist Sam Bennett: We ask for his thoughts on young Irish amateur riders going abroad to race. And we also spoke to him about the loss of An Post-Chainreaction and the impact on Irish cycling. Above, alongside Richie Porte at the recent Tour Down Under.
Sam Bennett talks Irish amateur cyclists and An Post
By Luke Maguire
He may have experienced a quieter start to his 2018 season in Australia than he would have liked, but this could be a huge year for Sam Bennett.
The Irish fastman fell ill as he travelled to Australia a couple of weeks ago for the Tour Down Under.
As a result, he didn’t challenge for stage wins in the race. However, with five WorldTour victories last year, his stock rose sharply in 2017.
The 27-year-old started his career with An Post-Chainreaction. And when stickybottle caught up with him recently he bemoaned the team's absence from the peloton this year.
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Sam Bennett also had some thoughts and advice on the subject of Irish amateur riders going abroad to race.
He has also suggested if amateurs want to get into the habit of winning, they should not be afraid to get their eye in at smaller races.
“Guys should really only be going abroad to race if they are winning all around them in Ireland first,” Bennett said when asked about the subject of amateurs racing abroad.
“If you don’t do it in Ireland you won’t do it anywhere else. You need to learn how to win.
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“That message was drilled in to me when I was a stagiaire at VC La Pomme in France.
“They would purposely send me to smaller races sometimes just so I could have a better chance at winning.
“It’s a thing you need to try and get used to if you want to be successful. Even now as a pro if you go a long time without a win you lose a bit of an edge.”
And he was concerned An Post-Chainreaction had lost its sponsors and was not operating this year.
“An Post was something for the Irish lads to target,” he said. “It was a stepping stone; a doorway into big European races.
“It was really important for young Irish cyclists. It’s really sad to see it go. The work Kurt (Bogaerts) puts into it was massive.
An Post and Aqua Blue Sport
“He’s had to go to hospital from overworking. There were times he wasn’t sleeping at night because he was just putting all his energy into the team.
“For me; he turned my career around. I thought my chance was over and he continued to fully support me - it’s sad that it won’t be there for other Irish riders.
“Now we have Aquablue and that’s another great target. It’s fantastic for Irish cycling.
“But there has to be something in between. It’s too big a jump to go from racing in Ireland to Pro- Continental level. An Post was a way to get your foot in the door.”
We have a wider interview coming up with Sam Bennett; stay tuned.
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