{"id":240891,"date":"2025-11-03T07:11:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-03T07:11:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/240891\/"},"modified":"2025-11-03T07:11:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T07:11:13","slug":"why-sam-bennetts-last-minute-lifeline-contract-could-be-a-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/240891\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Sam Bennett’s last-minute lifeline contract could be a success"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published November 1, 2025 03:05PM<\/p>\n

With things not quite clicking with Decathlon Ag2r la Mondiale and contract offers becoming scarce, the odds were looking tricky for Sam Bennett to continue in cycling. However the 2020 Tour de France green jersey has secured a lifeline with Q36.5 Pro Cycling, and is determined to seize the opportunity. Here\u2019s why he thinks it will succeed.<\/p>\n

Back in 2013, months before he won a stage of the Tour of Britain and secured his first pro contract, Sam Bennett<\/a> was about to quit pro cycling.<\/p>\n

He\u2019d suffered on-off injury problems since being hit by a car in December 2010 and with his morale ebbing, he considered walking away.<\/p>\n

Instead, An Post-Sean Kelly team manager Kurt Bogaerts<\/a> and Sean Kelly worked closely with Bennett, encouraging the 22-year-old to continue. Together they got him back on track.<\/p>\n

He repaid that trust in spades in the British tour, winning stage 5 from a group containing Bradley Wiggins, Nairo Quintana, Simon Yates and others. That result led to his first pro contract, and the start of a very successful career.<\/p>\n

Twelve years later, he\u2019s about to reunite with Bogaerts in the hope of another big turnaround. A one-year deal with Q36.5 Pro Cycling<\/a> will, he hopes, see him get back to his best in 2026.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think I got amazing opportunity with Decathlon [Ag2r la Mondiale], working with the bikes and the staff and the team,\u201d Bennett told Velo this week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey backed me, and they gave me some great opportunities for races. Everything was there for me to perform realistically. Unfortunately it didn\u2019t click. And in cycling, it just sometimes happens. That\u2019s sport, it just didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wish I could have done more for them, and I wish I rewarded them for their efforts, but it just didn\u2019t happen.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo I\u2019m not sitting here with any regrets or anything. I appreciated my time with Decathlon but I\u2019m going now to a team and with people that also believe in me.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd I\u2019m going back to work with Kurt. He launched my professional career, and got me to where I am today, really. Having him backing me and looking what I need to do, and pushing me, I think I can perform and do great things there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I saw the leaves falling, I thought \u2018oh crap\u2026\u2019\u201d
\n\"BennettBennett returned to the Tour last year for the first time since his 2020 success, but had a best stage placing of fourth. (Photo: Chris Auld)<\/p>\n

Bennett is now 35 years of age. Recent seasons have fallen short of his expectations. He was at the pinnacle of world sprinting in 2020 and early 2021, winning two stages in the Tour de France and taking the green jersey.<\/p>\n

However a knee injury sidelined him for several months in 2021 and he\u2019s never regained the same heights.<\/p>\n

There were promising moments, such as his two stage wins ahead of Mads Pedersen in the 2022 Vuelta, but Covid 19 ended his bid for the points jersey.<\/p>\n

Since then Bennett has raked up a dozen wins, including four stages plus the overall at the 2024 Four Days of Dunkirk, yet he hasn\u2019t taken any WorldTour victories in the past three seasons.<\/p>\n

2025 was his quietest year since turning pro, in terms of points scored. So what went wrong?<\/p>\n

\u201cI started the season good, and I was like, \u2018just wait till Giro. I\u2019m gonna be good there,\u2019\u201d he explained. \u201cThen I got a little bit sick beforehand, didn\u2019t get it right for the Giro. I was like, \u2018right, that didn\u2019t work. I have two few months to fix it.\u2019 I went back to the drawing board, built myself back up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI said, \u2018wait until Poland, I\u2019m gonna to f**king do something there.\u2019 I was going good, and then I crashed on the first stage. I tried to get things going again, and then the body just didn\u2019t respond after the crash.\u201d<\/p>\n

That fall left Bennett with various injuries, including a still-lingering discomfort in his tailbone. Equally importantly, it sapped his strength and led to DNFs in a number of races.<\/p>\n

Bennett needed a break from racing to recover, but also needed a big result to secure a contract for 2026. It was a real Catch-22 situation.<\/p>\n

Panic began to set in. He\u2019d had offers earlier in the season that he had turned down, hoping for something better, but now found himself up against the clock.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time it really hit me that it was getting to the end of the year was when I saw the leaves falling off the trees and I didn\u2019t have a contract yet. I was like, \u2018oh crap.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to be in a team environment that was really motivated to push forward, that it wasn\u2019t a team to just finish out my career. I want to get the best out of myself. I\u2019m still motivated to be one of the best sprinters in the world. I just needed a team environment that matched that.<\/p>\n

\u201cI ended up getting on a call [with 36.5 Pro Cycling] last week, and our objectives met. We were on the same page, it matched up. They went through the files, and they\u2019re happy with what they saw, and believe that I can still be one of the best.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the kind of support and environment I want to be in. To be honest, it\u2019s the perfect fit. I think I can get the best out of myself there.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018He doesn\u2019t want to leave the sport this way\u2019
\n\"SamBennett was the best sprinter in the 2020 Tour, dethroning Peter Sagan to win the green jersey, and taking two stage victories. (Photo: Stephan Mantey \u2013 Pool\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

In the years since Bennett turned pro, his path and that of Bogaerts diverged. They kept in contact from time to time, but the Belgian went to work for Ineos Grenadiers and became Tom Pidcock<\/a>\u2019s personal coach.<\/p>\n

When the Olympic MTB champion decided he wanted to focus more on road, he moved to Q36.5 Pro Cycling to avail of outright team leadership.<\/p>\n

Bogaerts transferred across too and helped Pidcock to third overall in this year\u2019s Vuelta.<\/p>\n

When it came to expanding the team for 2026, past contacts proved important. He had that key role in the Sean Kelly team before and has also managed several Irish national teams. The signings of Bennett and GC hope Eddie Dunbar<\/a> need to be seen in that light.<\/p>\n

Now he\u2019s got an important project to hand: transform Bennett back into the top winner he used to be.<\/p>\n

Their past dealings will help in that goal. So too Bogaerts\u2019 ability to empathize and guide. He knows that Bennett is a rider who is very much influenced by morale. When things are going well he thrives and racks up more and more success. But, equally, when there are a succession of frustrations, having the right person giving him guidance is crucial in getting Bennett back on track.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has a very successful career behind him. I would say he is a rider who can actually retire [happy] with the successes he had,\u201d Bogaerts told Velo this week. \u201cHe won stages in all the grand tours, and then in other WorldTour races. But then the last years were not successful. He wins smaller races still, but I think he\u2019s capable of more.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, he shows still a lot of hunger and doesn\u2019t want to leave the sport in this way. He wants to leave the sport on a high. That\u2019s up to us and himself to make that happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Recreating the magic
\n\"BennettWinning in green on the Champs Elys\u00e9es is the high point of his career (Photo: \u00a0Thibault Camus\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Right now Bennett has clear priorities: fully recover from his injuries from that crash in Poland, get to know his new team, share as much information as possible with the coaches and nutritionists, and trust in those he will be working with.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s also got to be patient.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was there sitting in a team meeting, saying, \u2018okay, we need to start at this date.\u2019 And Kurt got me to step back and say, \u2018look, you start when you\u2019re ready.\u2019 It was there I saw that, okay, I\u2019m not just going to be thrown into races here. He is looking out for my best interests.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat too showed me that I made the right decision. That this is the best environment for me to be the best I can possibly be. I need to give all of the responsibility over to them and follow everything they say to do, and to trust the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course you have to give them feedback and work with them, but you need to give them the trust, because, you know, they\u2019re the experts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennett turned 35 in October and is one of the oldest sprinters in the peloton. Bogaerts and Q36.5 Pro Cycling are taking a bit of a gamble in that regard, but the Belgian has worked with Bennett before, knows what makes him tick, and believes in his chances.<\/p>\n

If anyone can help turn things around and return to the glory days, Bogaerts can.<\/p>\n

He sees it as a challenge, but a welcome one.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m in the sport to make things happen for the athletes and try to support them well,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor sure, I cannot deny that there is a personal touch here. I\u2019m happy that we found an agreement. Now it\u2019s back to the basics and do everything right, and work hard, and get good communication between each other and the team. Then the rest will follow.<\/p>\n

\u201cSam is a winner. Let\u2019s first try to get back to winning. And then we build from there and see what the future brings after the preparation. We will build gradually everything step by step, and not make mistakes in the build-up now.<\/p>\n

\u201cI seek to leave this last season behind and focus on the basics of the sport.\u201d<\/p>\n

Slotting in alongside big GC targets
\n\"RecentRecent seasons have been mixed but Bennett and Bogaerts are convinced they can return to past glories (Photo: Chris Auld)<\/p>\n

Those aspirations are all laudable, but other teams with a big GC rider have not always embraced having a sprinter on board.<\/p>\n

Q36.5 Pro Cycling is in a period of growth and change. Team Principal Doug Ryder is ambitious for success, and so too are the sponsors, riders and staff.<\/p>\n

Can Bennett expect big opportunities when Pidcock and Dunbar are chasing major GC targets?<\/p>\n

Bogaerts suggests he can, underlining there is room for a big sprinter on the grand tour squads.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat is nice when you have a sprinter is that you have ambition every day. You have focus every day, it\u2019s not just concentrating on not losing time,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s healthy to have an ambitious focus on a daily basis, that you can have daily goals for different individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bennett is happy with that too. He notes that Q36.5 Pro Cycling has a similar energy to the early days with the NetApp Endura\/Bora squad, where he played a vital role in helping the team to grow.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s keen to win big, and is keen to make the most of a late lifeline to stay within the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course I never wanted to stop, but it started crossing my mind that this could be it,\u201d he said, weighting up recent weeks.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to [the Tour de] Vendee. I was there pinning on the numbers and thought \u2018fuck this could be the last time that I pin on a number.\u2019 And then to not finish the race \u2026 I was like, \u2018I can\u2019t go out like this.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cI owe it to my career to end on a better note. If I could go for another two or three years, or whatever it may be, great. I don\u2019t want to end like this.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s a relief, and it\u2019s motivating.\u201d<\/p>\n

He sounds lighter, excited again. If Bogaerts can do what he did a dozen years ago, there may be another big chapter ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Published November 1, 2025 03:05PM With things not quite clicking with Decathlon Ag2r la Mondiale and contract offers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":240892,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[4985,45284,101,101531,101532,64888,101533,45288,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-240891","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling","8":"tag-cycling","9":"tag-parent_category-road","10":"tag-sports","11":"tag-tag-eddie-dunbar","12":"tag-tag-kurt-bogaerts","13":"tag-tag-q36-5-pro-cycling","14":"tag-tag-sam-bennett","15":"tag-type-article","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom","18":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=240891"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/240891\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/240892"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=240891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=240891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=240891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}