Twenty year old cyclist Sam Bennett opens a new chapter in his sporting career this weekend when he lines up in his first race as a professional. The six day Tour of Qatar stage race will see him take on the undisputed fastest man in the world Mark Cavendish, world time trial champion Fabien Cancellara and Olympic gold medallist Bradley Wiggins.
It promises to be a baptism of fire for the young man from Carrick-on-Suir. The race is on the ProTour calendar, carrying a bucket load of world ranking points in addition to a very generous prize fund. His fellow professionals will be taking it very seriously indeed. With most of the stages through the desert, there will be no hedges to provide shelter from the expected strong winds and occasional sandstorms. Sam will follow up the Tour of Qatar with another six day ProTour race in Oman which will feature more undulating roads.
New year, new beginning is the mantra for the likeable young man after 2010 where little went right for him. He began the year with a broken collarbone and severe bruising following a collision with a car while out training. His recovery was hampered by swine flu. Things were looking up for him in June when he had a good win in France and was crowned Irish under 23 road race champion. However, in early July, Sam picked up an injury to both knees which kept him out of competition for six months. The injury didn’t respond to initial treatment which he found very frustrating. Sean Kelly arranged for Sam to see a surgeon in Belgium who specialises in knee injuries and he then returned home and worked with Ger Hartmann in Limerick. Daily gruelling gym sessions followed until cycling pain-free became a possibility. At the end of the year, he had the option of returning to the La Pomme team in Marseille for 2011. However, when the An Post Sean Kelly team made him an offer, he decided to ride for the men in green. “Sean Kelly was very good to me when I needed help last year. I hope to repay his faith in me by getting as many good results for the team in 2011” said Sam in his Carrickbeg home as he was busy packing for a few months away. Sam’s coach Martin O’ Loughlin is very optimistic about his future. “The past 12 months have been tough on him, but he is a much stronger cyclist physically and mentally because of it. He can sprint. He can climb. His bike control is amazing. All he needs now is a little luck”. The Tour of Qatar will be shown daily on Eurosport from February 6th to 11th. The Tour of Oman will also be shown on Eurosport from February 15th to 20th.
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