Sam Bennett: "People can say that I had a bad year, but there were only two sprinters with more WorldTour victories this year"

Sam Bennett is very optimistic ahead of the 2023 season, having discussed in a recent interview his return to good form, his ambition and arguments behind the Tour de France goal, and the mentality behind a top World Tour sprinter.

“I would like to get 100 wins. I have won most of my victories in the WorldTour. And it may sound arrogant, but I'm bummed that I've only won three times this year," Bennett told Wielerflits. "I work with the proposition of ten victories per year. If you then race for ten years, you have 100 victories. But the last three years I have lost a lot of time. I should have been closer to 100 now.”

After struggling with lack of form throughout most of the season, only at the Vuelta a Espana did the Irishman began to have his best legs. It proved late in the season to compensate for the rest of the year, but the BORA - hansgrohe rider has nevertheless taken three wins at World Tour level throughout 2022 - which equals his whole tally for the year.

“But is it about quality or quantity? Then I go for the mix myself. You have to find a healthy balance. If you win three times in the WorldTour, you can supplement that with victories at another level. Then your season will already look much better than if you only win twice in the WorldTour. But people can say that I had a bad year, but there were only two sprinters with more WorldTour victories this year," he argues.

It was with no doubt a difficult year for Bennett, who struggled with lack of form which climaxed in his absence from the Tour de France. A change in training methods saw him improve late in the year, where he has still managed to regain his confidence before heading into the off-season.

“So much is happening. It is difficult to make comparisons. People say I'm often a cultured sprinter, but the arrogance and ego are there," he continued. "When I get recognition, I think: oh yeah! At those times, I'm going to find my name on Twitter and see what people say. But there is also something Irish in me. If you blow high off the tower, you're arrogant and the Irish will always bring you down. That is also in me.”

With a team willing to have a strong and set leadout block behind him, which is also willing to reduce support for Giro champion Jai Hindley at the Tour de France for the Irishman's ambitions, it is certain that Bennett remains a big piece of BORA's plans.

“I also have to see what my lead-out men want. I also want them to get the best out of themselves and their season. The most important thing is that we ride together as much as possible, so that we can get into a flow,” Bennett said, with the Vuelta a San Juan the first appointment of the year.

“I need to know what they are thinking, I want to know their body language. They need that too. We also get along well outside the race and we notice that in the races," he concluded.