This overhead shot of Sam Bennett winning his Paris-Nice stage is very significant. All well in his wake are Kristoff, Kittel, Degenkolb, Matthews. Demare and Greipel are just behind in 6th and 7th.
Sam Bennett among pro cyclists with most wins in 2017
Only three pro riders have won more races in 2017 than Sam Bennett. The Irishman has ended his season now and took 10 wins.
His victory in Race Melbourne is not included as that was not a UCI-ranked race. Instead it was contested by the major pro teams in Australia at the time for the Tour Down Under.
Marcel Kittel of QuickStep tops the rankings to date with 14 victories. He is followed by Bennett’s Bora-hansgrohe team mate and world champion Peter Sagan on 12 victories.
Then, incredibly, comes Alejandro Valverde. The Movistar man has 11 victories. That is despite his season ending with his crash in the prologue at the Tour de France.
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There then follows in the rankings a group of five riders all on 10 wines, including Bennett.
The win in Munsterland Giro was a massive confidence boost at exactly the right time.
With him are Edvald Boasson Hagan (Dimension Data), Caleb Ewan (Orica-Scott), Arnaud Demare (FDJ) and Fernando Gaviria (QuickStep).
Bennett, who turned 27 years today, is ranked 8th in the list. The group of riders on 10 points are separated in the rankings according to how many 2nd places they secured.
For example, Boasson Hagen is ranked highest of the group of five as he has seven second places this year.
Interestingly, Bennett is at the bottom of the group of five all on 10 wins. He was 2nd just once this year and was 3rd four times.
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Looking back on his season the Carrick-on-Suir man said 2017 was a steep learning curve. However, his dream Tour of Turkey where he took four wins was a fantastic run.
Winning his first of two stages in Slovenia back in June, and taking the race leader's jersey.
He would have almost certainly made it five victories from the six on offer but for crashing on the last stage.
His luck was out at the Giro d’Italia, which will rank as the race that got away from him.
He fell ill in the first week when a number of chances were available to the sprinters. And while he limped on and overcame his illness, he never got the win he wanted.
The Irishman was 3rd three times and 2nd once. And when that race was over he said he was spent.
A period of fatigue would follow, which he recovered from with a break back in Ireland.
But even during that period in late summer when he was not feeling on top form he still took wins in Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
He took his first win, and first ever WorldTour victory, of the campaign in Paris-Nice back in March.
Then came his run of near misses in that troubled Giro; three 3rds and one 2nd place.
After that he would take two stages of the Tour of Slovenia in June. And at the Czech Cycling Tour in August he bagged another brace.
Then follow his excellent victory at Sparkassen Munsterland Giro less than two weeks ago. After that he went to Turkey and took four more wins.
He also won the points classification in both Slovenia and the Czech Republic.
Pro cyclists with most wins 2017
1 Kittel Marcel Quick-Step Floors 14
2 Sagan Peter BORA - hansgrohe 12
3 Valverde Alejandro Movistar Team 11
4 Boasson Hagen Edvald Dimension Data 10
5 Ewan Caleb ORICA-Scott 10
6 Démare Arnaud FDJ 10
7 Gaviria Fernando Quick-Step Floors 10
8 Bennett Sam BORA - hansgrohe 10
9 Viviani Elia Team Sky 9
10 Kristoff Alexander Team Katusha - Alpecin 9
11 Bernal Egan Arley Androni - Sidermec - Bottecchia 9
12 Teuns Dylan BMC Racing Team 8
13 Kankovsky Alois Elkov - Author Cycling Team 8
14 Bouhanni Nacer Cofidis, Solutions Crédits 7
15 Groenewegen Dylan Team LottoNL-Jumbo 7
16 Aberasturi Jon Team UKYO 7
17 Van Avermaet Greg BMC Racing Team 7
18 Sivakov Pavel 7
19 Alarcon Raul W52/FC Porto 7
20 Mareczko Jakub Wilier Triestina - Selle Italia 7
21 Zieliński Kamil Domin Sport 7
22 Jakobsen Fabio SEG Racing Academy 7
23 Buts Vitaliy Kolss Cycling Team 7
24 Trentin Matteo Quick-Step Floors 7
25 Calmejane Lilian Direct Energie 7
26 Huffman Evan Rally Cycling 7
27 Quintana Nairo Movistar Team 6
28 Porte Richie BMC Racing Team 6
29 Dumoulin Tom Team Sunweb 6
30 Roglic Primoz Team LottoNL-Jumbo 6
31 Dennis Rohan BMC Racing Team 6
32 Philipsen Jasper 6
33 Paterski Maciej CCC Sprandi Polkowice 6
34 Mugerli Matej Amplatz - BMC 6
35 Örken Ahmet Torku Sekerspor 5
36 Banaszek Alan CCC Sprandi Polkowice 5
37 Legley Matthias 5
38 Greipel André Lotto Soudal 5
39 Sunderland Scott IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness team 5
40 Gilbert Philippe Quick-Step Floors 5
41 Bazhkou Stanislau Minsk Cycling Club 5
42 Barbero Carlos Movistar Team 5
43 Antunes Amaro Manuel W52/FC Porto 5
44 Teshome Meron Bike Aid 5
45 Fortin Filippo Tirol Cycling Team 5
46 van der Poel Mathieu Beobank - Corendon 5
47 Canola Marco Nippo - Vini Fantini 5
48 Dassonville Flavien HP BTP - Auber93 5
49 Frame Alex JLT Condor 5
50 Martin Guillaume Wanty - Groupe Gobert 5
51 Yssaad Yannis Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre 5
52 Coquard Bryan Direct Energie 5
53 Polivoda Oleksandr Kolss Cycling Team 5
54 Wellens Tim Lotto Soudal 5
55 Gaudin Damien Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre 5
56 Pedersen Mads Trek - Segafredo 5
57 Carstensen Lucas 5
58 Pinot Thibaut FDJ 4
59 McCabe Travis UnitedHealthcare Pro Cycling Team 4
60 Galdoune Ahmed Amine 4
61 Avila Edwin Team Illuminate 4
62 Landa Mikel Team Sky 4
63 Kwiatkowski Michal Team Sky 4
64 Brøchner Nicolai Riwal Platform Cycling Team 4
65 Rutkiewicz Marek Wibatech 7r Fuji 4
66 Ulissi Diego UAE Team Emirates 4
67 Nibali Vincenzo Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team 4
68 Jensen August Team Coop 4
69 Majka Rafał BORA - hansgrohe 4
70 Thomas Geraint Team Sky 4
71 Carpenter Robin Holowesko-Citadel Racing Team 4
72 Froome Christopher Team Sky 4
73 Matthews Michael Team Sunweb 4
74 Guldhammer Rasmus Team Virtu Cycling 4
75 López Miguel Ángel Astana Pro Team 4
76 Pedersen Casper Team Giant - Castelli 4
77 Modolo Sacha UAE Team Emirates 4
78 Cooper Joseph IsoWhey Sports SwissWellness team 4
79 Van Schip Jan-willem Delta Cycling Rotterdam 4
80 Soto Nelson Andres Coldeportes - Claro 4
81 Fuglsang Jakob Astana Pro Team 4
82 Levasseur Jordan Equipe Cycliste Armée de Terre 4
83 Howes Alex Cannondale-Drapac Pro Cycling Team 4
84 de Buyst Jasper Lotto Soudal 4
85 Costa Rui UAE Team Emirates 3
86 Cerny Josef Elkov - Author Cycling Team 3
87 Colbrelli Sonny Bahrain Merida Pro Cycling Team 3
88 Lawless Christopher Axeon Hagens Berman 3
89 Hamilton Lucas Mitchelton Scott 3
90 Küng Stefan BMC Racing Team 3
91 Malucelli Matteo Androni - Sidermec - Bottecchia 3
92 Drucker Jean-Pierre BMC Racing Team 3
93 Raim Mihkel Israel Cycling Academy 3
94 Dillier Silvan BMC Racing Team 3
95 Mraouni Salah Eddine Kuwait - Cartucho.es 3
96 Van Aert Wout Vérandas Willems-Crelan 3
97 Ariesen Johim Metec - TKH Continental Cyclingteam p/b Mantel 3
98 Earle Nathan Team UKYO 3
99 Albasini Michael ORICA-Scott 3
100 Britton Rob Rally Cycling 3
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