Sean Kelly has conceded he is confused about Sam Bennett being left off the Bora-hansgrohe team for the Tour de France, especially as Belgian sprinter Jordi Meeus was selected ahead of him. The former World No 1 said he did not believe the comments made by Bora-hansgrohe in recent weeks and he wondered if there was now "friction" between Bennett and team management.
And while not being selected for the Tour de France was a big blow for Bennett, Kelly was also concerned the Irishman might not be picked for La Vuelta, saying the relationship between team and rider is damaged and is now likely to end. Indeed, Kelly - who is hosting cycling holidays in Greece later in the year - believes it is now probable Bennett will not go to La Vuelta.
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Kelly told stickybottle when Bora-hansgrohe management staff suggested publicly in recent weeks that Bennett would be going to the Tour, he wasn't convinced by those words, adding he had never been keen on team boss Ralph Denk.
"We've heard that before from them," Kelly said. "And the way he was going in the Dauphiné, I thought it may not be a done deal at all and I was concerned. But when you look at who has been selected they've picked Meeus, this Belgian guy. Bennett is as good as him, he's not any better than Bennett even when he's really good. So why is that, why have they done that?
"If they went for the team with Van Poppel in it… Van Poppel is a rider who can ride on the front and look after GC men in the final of the stages where it's complicated. So OK, they can pick Van Poppel. But Meeus being pick? I don't understand that. What is the problem there? That's the question. Is there something that we're not hearing?"
Kelly added he did not know what Bennett's plans were for next year, though he wondered if Bennett had already signed for another team and whether that was now an issue between the rider and team, perhaps influencing the decision to pick Meeus ahead of him for the Tour.
However, he also said it was possible that team management had simply gone cold on Bennett - something that frequently happens in sports, with an athlete's face no longer fitting. Kelly also said he himself was lukewarm about Bora-hansgrohe's general manager Ralph Denk and he wondered if there was "friction" within the team.
Kelly pointed out even though Bennett had found it difficult to hit form last year, as has also been the case this season, he was still selected of La Vuelta last year and took two stages before being forced out of the race 10 stages in.
"So putting another sprinter in his place for this Tour… that's something I just don't understand," he said. "I was thinking they might go for a GC line-up and they might also put in some guys who can go and breakaways and try and get a stage win and that way. And those breakaway guys would be able to be there on the front as well, riding for the team leader when they're needed.
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"So if they went for that kind of a team you'd say 'Okay. we understand that'. And Sam hasn't been (winning races)… But when they put the other sprinter in instead of him, you're asking yourself many questions.
"The thing now for Sam is, when you look forward to the Vuelta… that may not be on the cards for him either because if he's leaving the team they probably won't put them in the Vuelta, they'll probably put somebody else in. So that would be another thing if he is moving teams, which looks very likely now. That would be another year without a big tour again."
Looking ahead to the Tour de France, Kelly said the race was being billed as a two-man battle between defending champion Jonas Vingegaard (Jumbo-Visma) and two-time winner Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates). And while they would likely emerge as the main riders, Kelly was not ruling out David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ).
He said Vingegaard was the "form rider", especially given the manner he won the Dauphiné. At the same time, Pogačar was "an unbelievable talent".
However, he was concerned Pogačar had not raced for two months due to his wrist and hand injury. And while he had done a lot of training indoors during that period, Kelly believed that would not fully prepare him for the demands of the Tour, especially the final week.
"That's where we could see him having difficulty because of that lack of racing," he said of Pogačar. "And in the early part of the race as well, you'd wonder will they really test each other… will Jumbo Visma think Pogačar's going to take three or four days to really get into the race and will they hit him from the beginning, and these first few days are a killer."
However, Kelly said riders who are "flying" at the Dauphiné often struggled to replicate that form in the Tour, especially in the third week. He pointed out Vingegaard had not only won the Dauphiné, but had dominated with solo breakaways at times.
"He was riding away on his own, 20 to 30 kilometres at the end of a stage… He was on fire and was that a bit too early? And then with the injury for Pogačar… that's unknown for him and for the team. He has a strong team, yes, but you can have all the team mates you want, you still have to be the best man yourself.
"I just wonder about Gaudu. I think Pogačar and Vingegaard will be so competitive between each other, from the early part of the race… And maybe Gaudu could be there following and following and ready to take the chance?"
- Sean Kelly's cycling holidays in Rhodes can be booked through RC Travel who offer the complete package including bike hire and airport transfers. Kelly will be there himself to ride with you from October 14th to 28th and for more details follow this link.
