Sam Bennett has gotten his hands on the air on couple of occasions already this year for NetApp Endura. Seen here winning the Clasica de Almeria in Spain, could his next big win be at the Tour de France?
By Gerard Cromwell
Sam Bennett’s chances of riding the Tour de France in his first year as a professional have been given a huge boost today when the Carrick-on-suir rider was named on NetApp Endura’s long list for the race.
With just six weeks to go before its debut at the Tour de France in Leeds on July 5th, the team announced a 14 man squad today, from which will nine will be selected to ride the Tour.
Of those 14, neo-pro Sam Bennett and Scott Thwaites are the only two not to have ridden a Grand Tour before. But Bennett’s excellent form this year gives him a great chance of being on the start line of the world’s biggest race.
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"Selecting nine riders is not easy for us because at the moment we have a very broad spectrum on the team,” said team manager Ralph Denk.
“Leo Konig is the team’s leader and his condition will determine how our Tour squad looks like. If he's in top shape, then he'll be given the full support of the team.
"On the other hand, if his preparation is further compromised by his knee problems, we’ll adjust our tactical plans. And that will have an impact on the squad. But the last couple of weeks have shown that the team can convert even that into results.”
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If Konig does not recover in time to ride or is not at his best, it could increase Bennett’s chances of selection as instead of focusing on a top GC position, the squad would then be aiming for stage wins and Bennett’s sprinting skills would be called upon.
Having taken two victories already this season and numerous top five placings, including second in the Velothon Berlin just last week, Bennett looks like he could give Mark Cavendish and the other fastest men in the sport a run for their money if he does get selected.
"We're on a very good path,” says Denk.
“During the classics, the team showed that we have clearly improved in that area. At the stage races, we always gave top performances and we were contenders for good results.
"We're aiming for a stage win and a top 15 position in the GC. Our goals are realistic and the entire team is already feeling self-confident because of that."
Tour de France Long List
Team NetApp–Endura
- Jan Barta,
- Cesare Benedetti,
- Sam Bennett,
- Iker Camano,
- David de la Cruz,
- Zak Dempster,
- Bartosz Huzarski,
- Leopold König,
- Tiago Machado,
- José Mendes,
- Andreas Schillinger,
- Daniel Schorn,
- Scott Thwaites,
- Paul Voss
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