"Today I had a lot more power" - Sam Bennett keen on form ahead of Vuelta a Espana with display at European Championships
Cycling
Sam Bennett was chosen by BORA - hansgrohe to race the Vuelta a Espana, and at his final race before the Grand Tour he has shown positive signs with a good performance at the European championships.
Talking to RTÉ after the race, Bennett shared that "it was a really dangerous circuit, and it was a bit of a lottery with the positioning. I did the last few kilometres alone, but that might have been better anyway, because I could pick the wheels myself," he admitted. “But I made a slight mistake in the last 500-600 metres and maybe I should have moved up one or two places."
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After his apparent lack of form this season, Bennett didn't enter the European championships as a main favourite, however his fifth place in the final sprint showed good signs. “I was watching Belgian because they were really well organised. And then when I saw Netherlands move up, I said I had to go," Bennett detailed the final kiloemter.
"The last man for Fabio was my teammate, Danny van Poppel. He’s my last man in most races, so I know what he can do. I knew they were the wheel to get on in the last 600 metres, but I let Arnaud Démare from France get in because I kind of gambled thinking he’d go a bit early in the sport. But he waited, so I chose the wrong wheel in the end".
He has won the Eschborn-Frankfurt classic this season, but has struggled through most of the year, having missed the Tour de France because of it. He finished just one spot behind his own leadout man Danny van Poppel, however the Irishman was selected to the Vuelta a Espana in hopes of keeping him motivated and hoping for the return of his best legs. "...It's a step in the right direction and heading into the Vuelta it gives me a bit more confidence," he stated.
“Today I had a lot more power. There’s still a little bit to go but everything is coming around. It's nearly there now, the condition, it's just that I need something to click," he says, likely missing that confidence of a big win to get everything rolling. "Once I get that, it'll just take off again and I can feel it's close. It's just taking a long time to get back to the top level.”
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.
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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)...
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- great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
- Me too!!!!!Occam10-11-2026
- they can sign any 100 of top riders today but Pogi will win over Remco any time at the TDF unless something goes wrongabstractengineer10-11-2026
- the time for a GC rider to retire is when they cannot win stages, or have a significant level drop like from winner/podium into top 5/10 consistently. Roglic is still competitive and Froome raced even though he became pack fodder.abstractengineer10-11-2026
- He should be in a different team. It was detrimental. For them it does not matter if he does not develop. He should have gone to a team where they need him to succeed.abstractengineer10-11-2026
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🇪🇺#EuroRoad22 The top results of our guys today: @Dannyvanpoppel in 4th, @Sammmy_Be in 5th and @Laaasu in 12th 👏🏼💪🏼 📸: @sprintcycling
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