Sam Bennett rewards his team with second stage win on a hectic day in Provence: "My team-mates had to redouble their efforts today"
Cycling
Sam Bennett started the 2025 season in style with two sprint triumphs at the Tour de la Provence. The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale fast man proved to be unmatched at the French race with a dominant victory ahead of Max Kanter and Emilien Jeanniere.
"It was a tough day of racing," Bennett exhales after the finish of final stage of the 2025 Tour de la Provence in a press release from his team.
A strong breakaway, which included Spanish rider Raúl García Pierna (Arkéa - B&B Hotels) - the sixth man in the general classification, had all the motivation needed to complicate things for sprinter teams, including Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale working for Sam Bennett.
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"The leading group had a big lead and the riders in the breakaway were fighting for the overall classification. What's more, the wind was strong, making it difficult to catch them. My team-mates had to redouble their efforts and did an excellent job of controlling the race and bringing me back to the front of the pack at a crucial moment."
Eventually, the front group fell apart and everything seemed ready for the final sprint. However things weren't as straightforward with a major crash of Pascal Ackermann. Luckily for Bennett, his teammates did a great job to place him at the very front, right behind the strong sprint train of XDS Astana. The Irishman proved to be the faster against Max Kanter and therefore secured his second stage win in Provence.
"The last three kilometers required an intense effort. In the end, I was able to launch my sprint from the back with speed to take the win. It's a very good result and I'm happy with what the team and I achieved over the race weekend."
Next race for the 34-year-old Bennett will be Tirreno-Adriatico in three weeks' time. The traditional Italian stage race will serve as an appetizer before Bennett's intended participation at the Giro d'Italia. He'll attempt to add to his three victories from 2018 this May.
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- I get the point totally. We live in the snowflake society where some riders forget they are getting paid to ride and get results. When they have a few issues they try to look outside of the real issue instead of themselves. It odd so many of the team are making no complaints and getting on with their job. If you do not like what you do find another job simples. Tough love as my mum would say.paultryan200207-11-2026
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
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