Sam Bennett has said while some people may have questioned his decision to leave Bora-hansgrohe two years ago, to join Deceuninck-QuickStep, he felt he needed to leave to develop as a rider.
The 30-year-old Irishman has endured difficult times with
Deceuninck-QuickStep team boss Patrick Lefevere of late. Lefevere has spoken in
astonishingly poor terms of his Irish sprinter since he was forced to miss the
Tour through injury.
In a statement about rejoining Bora-hansgrohe, Bennett
revealed he was still dealing with that injury. However, he believed it was a
short-term issue and he would soon be back winning races.
And he felt going back to his old team, with whom he
raced for six years, would be another step forward in his career, especially as
he was going back as team leader and with additional lead-out support,
including compatriot Ryan Mullen.
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“I am very excited about returning to Bora-hansgrohe,” Bennett said. “I had six incredible years with this team and I really feel like I grew up as a pro rider during this period."
Bennett continued: “It was a really difficult decision to leave, but I decided I needed to continue my professional and personal development in a new environment. While some may have questioned my decision at the time, I believe it is the right move for me to return to Bora-hansgrohe.
“I have enjoyed two great years at Deceuninck-QuickStep,
my boyhood dream team, and have continued my development both on and off
the bike whilst making lifelong friendships.
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“However, I feel ready to go back home to be the team
leader that I want to be, and know Bora-hansgrohe also wants me to be. I
know the team will have a slightly different roster than when I left, but the
core group of people who are responsible for the team’s successful environment
remains.
“I am ready to embrace the role of a team leader, to help
drive the team forward so we can win together. With the invaluable insight
of Bora-hansgrohe’s high performance department, we've selected three
incredibly talented riders to work by my side.
“Ryan Mullen, my compatriot, is a superb time triallist and has always impressed me with his strength when we raced together for Ireland. Shane Archbold is one of the world's best and most experienced lead out men and a rider whose knowledge of bunch sprinting is only surpassed by his own sprint speed. He is the rider I have raced alongside the most even before my pro-career."
Bennett continued: It goes without saying that Danny van Poppel is an immensely successful sprinter himself and it is rare in cycling for a rider to be so capable of reading a race that he never finds himself out of position even in the most competitive bunch sprints.
“The four of us have different strengths and we believe
the amalgamation of our skills will make for a very competitive sprint
train. These riders are not only cyclists of impressive calibre in their
own right, but will also add to the camaraderie within the team,” he said,
adding he was looking forward to reconnecting with his old team mates.
“Currently I am still dealing with the knee injury which
forced me to miss the Tour de France, but I am confident I will overcome this
small setback and get back to where I want to be soon - winning races. Injuries
are part of life, I’ve had them before and have overcome them, this is just
another hurdle to conquer on life's journey.
“I want to thank the staff of Deceuninck-QuickStep for a
great couple of years. There are a lot of people that I will miss and I wish
them all the very best for the future.
“Finally, I’d like to say a particular thank you to Ralph
Denk for giving me the opportunity to re-join such a supportive team
environment. I look forward to racing alongside old friends again and hopefully
contributing to many victories back in the Bora-hansgrohe jersey over the
coming seasons.”
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