Sam Bennett - no same day spoilers

Rechuchote

Is all racing cycling management unpleasant to its employees?

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117698740#Comment_117698740

I expected him to bring Archibold over as he takes him with him most of the time but Mullen is a welcome surprise and with them he will have a team that he can trust to get him to the final kms. Neither of them will take him into the final 500m though so it will be all about picking wheels and stealing rides on trains

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117698776#Comment_117698776

I wouldn't think even Bora were "unpleasant". They felt they had an agreement they tried to get brought out of, and didn't pick Sam for races he thought he should be (which happens to people in every single team sport, at every level). I don't recall it being personality driven. I think a lot of the angst on that one was fan driven.

neris

Hope that will be a positive move for Mullen aswell, he seems to have disappeared over the last few years

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117699024#Comment_117699024

He just settled into a domestique roll similar to Tony Martin is now and by all accounts he is a very good one.

It's probably way better for him career wise than aiming for the odd TT win

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117698776#Comment_117698776

Madiot is a bit of a grump when it comes to cycling politics but not his riders, he is almost a father to Pinot and Bernardeau over at Total would have a similar reputation.

Denk is actually quite well liked and done loads for Bennett up until the contract argument.

Vaughters at EF seems to be a decent guy too but personally I can't stand him.

Most go quietly about their business and you would barely notice them at all

There is an old fashioned type that Lefevre seems to really see himself as where the MO would be to bully and harass young rider into becoming "real men" and there are plenty of horror stories of junior riders treated like absolute $h1t by this type of old school guy

I mentioned before Mullen was held in very high regard in his role at Trek I'd say a move to Bora is recognition of that.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117699024#Comment_117699024

As Breezy says, he's become a top level domestique. Pedersen specifically picked him in his all time best team on (iirc) the Jens and Bobby podcast, Stuyven left the podium celebrations to thank him in San Remo.

The big question is really Van Poppel going from sprinter to final lead out - potentially a very decent train if that works out. Van Poppel is/ was a solid top 10 sprinter in World Tour races with pretty much no support.

Rechuchote

It was the "old school guys" I meant. In any other trade the kind of comments being made would surely be seen as bullying. An extraordinary way to talk about someone.

CrowdedHouse

I'm slightly concerned that the knee injury is still ongoing.

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117700402#Comment_117700402

There were 2 decent but not amazing movies came out last year both with the very poetic and inventive name "The Racer". one is an Irish/French production about an older racer during the doped up 99 tour and the other a Belgian movie about a young promising Belgian teen who signs for an Italian development side with an "old school" DS.

Neither movie will be winning Oscars but they do give a bit of insight to bike racing behind the scenes

MangleBadger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117700414#Comment_117700414

That I was also surprised to read.

Melodeon

RTE News just informed us that Sam is returning to his old "club" 😜

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117700964#Comment_117700964

I'm still shocked anytime he gets a mention.

When they said club it sounded like he was going back to Carrick Wheelers

this.lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117700964#Comment_117700964

That is cat, Melodeon.

Junior

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117700976#Comment_117700976

He still is a member, never left us.

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117698347#Comment_117698347

Your friend brought up the claim that Sam won more World Tour wins than anyone else in 2019, with 12 world tour wins .

I pointed it out correctly, that that number is grossly inflated by the 5 wins from minor events like Brick Bank and Turkey. The purpose was the highlight the complete nonsense of your argument .

he did win criterium Dauphine, UAE (meh race) Paris Nice and two at Vuelta, but , the specifically listed sprinters that I mentioned won better races and were ranked far higher than your boy Sam, who didn’t even get into the top 20 of the UCI ranking for the year

You are still running the argument that I have either suggested or implied that he didn’t win grand tour stages . Why ? Nothing of the sort was said. Btw, the other sprinters actually won stages the the exact same races and added TDF wins in that period… so …

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117696787#Comment_117696787

What you know could be written on the back of a stamp, and that’s evident from the desperate defence of the guy that is clearly based on his nationality

The statement that he’d regularly beat the Quick Step guys like Jacobson next year was a good one .

With Van Poppel and Mullen (more Irish tinted glasses on a guy who simply hasn’t reached his ability and has yet to make it to the TDF Or even the Vuelta ) and Archibald (who incidentally rarely rode with Sam in the major races, bar Vuelta 2019) would not be holding my breath . Hope I’m wrong , but ….

Macy0161

Are you deliberately missing off the three Giro stages because it doesn't suit your narrative? Where he beat an inform Viviani lead by the a team Quick Step train (including Morkov)? QS specifically targeted Sam in that race too to disrupt him.

happytramp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117703388#Comment_117703388

No offence but you definitely don't seem to have a very deep knowledge of cycling or the Pro Peloton, which is fine, all sports need newcomers to thrive. It's also fine to make mistakes and not know the ins and out of every aspect of the sport but there's really no need to be so aggressive towards posters who've been regular contributors on here and other cycling forums for years.

Macy0161

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117700414#Comment_117700414

While I do think it was "real" before the Tour, it does kinda take the wind out of Lefevre's sails if he is going to sideline. Out there ahead, that if he's not racing it's not being sidelined by the dinosaur*.

*in normal life, he'd be using the sidelining on top of the Lefevre's comments to take a legal case!

wpd

I can't see in article what length the new contract is?

Assuming it is a 2 year contract?

Macy0161

2 years iirc from his twitter post.

Randy Archer

@ Macy0161

lol. It’s cute and endearing to be so so defensive of a rider, simply because he’s one of us, but it’s another thing entirely, to reinvent history and race results into alternative facts , not to mention hyperbole

1. “but he bet that lead out several times in the Giro with Bora”

Oh dear oh dear

2017 Giro : rode great. But won 0 stages. Came third on 3 occasions and 2nd once. 3rd in the Points competition. Gave a guess who pipped him each and every time ? Gaviria, the Colombian who rode for QUICK STEP . 5 podium spots , Gaviria was ahead of him EACH TIME !

Gaviria is 3 and a bit years YOUNGER than Sam

Giro 2018: Sam was fantastic . 3 stage wins , including the last stage (impressive after a long 3 weeks) . 3 wins, 2x 2nds 3 x3rds but only 2nd in the Points competition.

Guess who was ahead of him ? Elia Viviani of QUICK STEP who bagged 4 wins , 1x 2nd

Sam bet him a grand total of 3 times, including placing , out of 21 days . Hardly dominant !!! When both went head to head for the sprint, Sam only bet him twice (Sam’s other sprint win , Viv was way down in the sprint)

A grand total of 42 stages of the Giro between 2017 and 2018, contrary to your claim, Sam only beat Quick Step 3 times . Lol (whether for win or placing on podium)

Roll on 2019, Bora send their younger German star… he wins the points jersey (it was a tougher course, it should be noted)

2 . “He’s worried about Sam next year”

lol. Not with the b grade personnel Sam has to work with next year .(on que. ore green tinted glasses triggering) Bar serious health problems for Quick Step, they ill be grand cleaning up or contending the one days and watch Alaphillipe do his best Tommy Voeckler impression with a day or two in yellow . Lotto and even Alpecin Fenix are a bigger concern

3 . “If he’s crap as he suggested”

Christ , stop embarrassing yourself please. PLF never said that Sam Bennett was “crap” . That is lies

PLF obviously got burned with sponsorship discussions that relied on Sam attending TDF to defend the green jersey , and he has every right to be furious with Bennett’s disrespectful and unprofessional conduct giving multiple different stories as to his whereabouts and why he didn’t at least meet the team during Tour of Belgium and how he gave different stories about the status of his knee. That’s cowardly stuff

4 . Bora were not a Pro conti until Sagan and his Merry band cemented their place on the world tour . Bennett was dropped from key races that actually had nothing to do with his form. That’s not much loyalty. Not even a spot as plan b or c or as help (to gain experience) . Being snub of a chance to ride Giro 2019 was the last straw . He might as well have been treated as a third rate sprinter. That’s precisely how he was treated, favoured over unproven sprinters despite what he did in 2017-2018 . (Im not saying he was or is 3rd rate)

there’s little to suggest that Bora would have done much different in 2020 had Sam stayed , because the decision to snub him for Giro 2019 was a successful one and Sam kept his form throughout that year in Dauphine and Vuelta and the minor world tour races

5 . “DQS have put him in the ha’penny place …”

He knew he wasn’t getting his contract renewed since May . His conduct leading up to Tour of Belgium and the contradictory messages he gave to staff about his injury and his refusal to meet with staff at Tour of Belgium leaves him open to massive criticism. Take off your green tinted glasses for a moment .

6.none of the GC contenders are going to win grand tour”

if you had said that in 2010-2017 that Wiggins or Geraint Thomas would never win a grand tour, few would have laughed at you. Even the idea of Big Tom Doumulon being a Giro champion in a climbers edition is a little hard to believe (especially as he didn’t have it easy )

there are seven day stage races to be won as well. Considering a 30 year old Wilco Kelderman came 5th in TDF 5th this year, I wouldn’t to be quick to dismiss GC chances of the new batch coming in .

Jai Hindley is rumoured to be joining . (How much of a fluke was it for many at Giro 2020? Future form for many is poor) Sergio Higuita is a talent , not sure why EF didn’t do enough to keep him

7. lads. Mullen. please !

Please stop bigging him up, simply because he’s Irish (ye are , don’t deny it ) Sam doesn’t do one day races. Mullen won’t be of much use in Grand Tours as he will have his own issues getting through the mountain days

Neither pederen and Stuyven are anything close to remotely being prolific winners lads. Jesus Christ.

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117698921#Comment_117698921

GO BACK TO SCHOOL ! Your inability to read and comprehend is YOUR PROBLEM ! Your statement is a big pack of lies too

In fact, you will see rather quickly how much of a fool that you have made yourself by YOUR appalling recollection of Sam apparently beating Quick Step guys “several times” in the tWo Giros that he rode in

Not to mention your false and clearly laughable comprehension as to what PLF actually said, when you claimed that PLF said that Bennett was “a crap” rider.

Keep it up brah, you can’t even string a sentence that actually has any factual basis to it .lol . Follow racing since the 1980s ? Clearly not in 2017-2019 !

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117703436#Comment_117703436

He is claiming we all have "green tinted glasses" but it's the opposite that's true. He is obviously one of these self hating Irish that seem to exist across boards. They are all over the soccer forum banging on about 3 lions and in the Brexit and NI one's too

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117703496#Comment_117703496

Tip for you

if you are going to come out with that tripe, actually find an argument to back that up. You said nothing . Newcomers lol. When you are involved in drawing up contracts for pro riders and negotiating insurance and sponsorship for races around Europe, come back to me , chief !

which statements made by me are incorrect ?

mistakes ? Which ones ? Your pal Macy just made a total fool of himself about Sam’s Giro record (see above) at least he tried to make an argument . Mistakes lol?

please Don’t start that utter disingenuous rubbish crying about “aggressive” . You don’t get to do that when you lie .

Being a regular on forums has no relevancy to thr fact that utter nonsense , that can’t be back up has been spouted by them, not to mention intentionally distorting what was said

Don’t be getting so precious about riders who represent Ireland . They aren’t above legitimate criticism and don’t for a second pretend that ye aren’t stopping such criticism etc , because ye clearly are .

Mullens is on last chance saloon . Trek would have kept him if they thought that highly of him. He would have at least gone to Vuelta by now. I’d love to be wrong, but sadly… he will be doing well if he’s still on a world tour team in two years time

Randy Archer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117703436#Comment_117703436

“deliberately missing off the three stages “

No , I addressed them. You just can’t read and comprehend, I just pointed out that Viviani pipped him in the other 18 stages of the tour lol. I also pointed out that Sam came no where near the Colombian ,who didn’t have Morkov in 2017 (and was younger)

Lol Sam Bennett was an afterthought to Quick Step in 2018 . Ellis bet him man on man multiple times , and in the One Day races on the European tour . BTW Fabio Sabatini (long time team mate before and after) and Stybar were concerned the main helpers at QS back then

Ellia Viviani was one of the fast sprinters in the peloton between late 2017-2019 and had won track medals at the Olympics ffs.

Morkov did not have the reputation that he has now (despite his time at Saxo Bank and Katusha , only 2 1/2 TDF appearances between 2009-2017 ) It was his first season at Quick Step

revisionism spiked with nationalism

Tell us why Sam won’t go the way of the other sprinters and most of the other one day top riders (Tepstra) whose careers fell off a cliff after leaving Quick Step ? Keittel won races before going to Quick Step …yet …yikes

Weepsie

If people can't be civil, then they need not bother posting. All opinions welcome but stop the tit for tat insulting posters and assuming they've just tuned in last week

CantGetNoSleep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117704230#Comment_117704230

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