"I may be one of the fastest sprinters in the field but there are no guarantees" - Relief at last for Sam Bennett with sprint win at 4 Jours du Dunkerque
Cycling
Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale have started 2024 in spectacular form. Although it took Sam Bennett a little time, the Irishman has now finally joined the party with his first win of the season on stage 2 of 4 Jours du Dunkerque.
"It was a great sprint. I'm very happy to bring this victory to the team," reflects the 33-year-old post-stage. A few years ago, Bennett was the most feared sprinter in the peloton. After a rocky couple of seasons however, the ten-time Grand Tour stage winner is hoping to reignite his career with a move to Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team.
Based on the French outfit's early season joy, it's fair to say Bennett made a good choice with his new employers. "On paper, I may be one of the fastest sprinters in the Four Days of Dunkirk, but in the field there are no guarantees," he assesses. "The team did a great job today, and I'm very proud of all my team-mates. They have a lot of experience, and it's a privilege to race alongside them. It's really incredible to be able to win thanks to them. As for the rest of the race, we'll take it day by day and see how it goes."
With two stages down, Bennett is also now into the overall lead of the race too. With another opportunity on stage 3, more Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team success could be on the cards.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
- Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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- There really was nothing in it. Schreiber was so much faster, and Brand was fighting to stay in the wheel in the sprint. Schreiber did move a bit, but to say she closed the door doesn't make sense because Brand couldn't enter it anyway, abd she wasn't impeded.Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026
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🇫🇷 @4JDDunkerque 🥇 @Sammmy_Be s'impose au sprint sur la 2e étape et décroche sa première victoire de la saison 😍 La 16e pour l'équipe 👊 🥇 @Sammmy_Be wins the bunch sprint on stage 2 and takes his first victory of the season 😍 The 16th for the team 👊
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