Sam Bennett took an important win today at the Vuelta a Espana, a strong sprint win which has seen him beat strong rivals and take a shot of necessary confidence after a hard year.
“I’m close, but I think this Vuelta will be the key to bringing me back to my top level," Bennett said in a post-stage interview. "To have that hard racing, to get that real strength and depth, that’s what I’m looking for: to be really consistent. But I think now should be the turning point.” This was Bennett's first win since May, and second of the season. He beat high level names such as Mads Pedersen and Tim Merlier, and seems to be getting into the groove at the Vuelta.
“I think legs are more important for me than the head, so I hope they will come good. I know how to win bike races, I know how to get there, I know what to do," Bennett said. "It was one of those days where everything clicked. I think I’m still a little bit off my best but my teammates made a difference today, they’re really fantastic".
Bennett arguably has the best leadout in the race, and once again the presence of Danny van Poppel made all the difference for the Irishman. "I don’t know how he finds those gaps but he hasn’t ever got it wrong yet. He was incredible, he carried so much speed," Bennett said of his teammate, who delivered him into the final meters to take the stage win.
Now in the green jersey, Bennett also discusses the possibility of fighting for the points classification: "I don’t know if they were expecting me to go for more than just stages. They said ‘go for it, try and use minimal effort, but absolutely no problem'."
“I went into the stage with that in the back of my mind, we’ll try and continue going for that as well. The most important thing was to get the stage win first. Now we have that, we can really go for the points jersey," he concluded. Tomorrow in Breda the BORA team will have another shot at success, and motivation will be high after today.
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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- A great route aswell. Col D'Arcy is a toughie
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horribleRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
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🇳🇱 #LaVuelta22 🏆 SAM BENNETT WINS THE STAGE! 🏆
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