George Bennett – From 'as cracked as a man can get' to ready to roll with the punches

George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates) in pursuit on stage 3 of the Tour Down Under 2023
George Bennett (UAE Team Emirates) in pursuit on stage 3 of the Tour Down Under 2023 (Image credit: Getty Images Sport)

There were more than a few riders at the Tour de Langkawi at the end of the 2022 season who looked dejected in what became a last-chance tour for riders facing up to 2023 contractless and with their cycling careers and creams in tatters. Then there was also George Bennett, future secure with a contract in place with one of the world’s top teams, looking as despondent as any, but for him, it was the months and season that had already gone by that were weighing heavily rather than what was ahead. That new season and the clean slate that came with it couldn’t come quickly enough.

“I was pretty much about as cracked as a man can get at the end of a long season,” said the UAE Team Emirates rider, looking back to that Malaysian tour from the sidelines of his first race of the season in Australia. His chipper demeanour was a complete contrast to the Bennett Cyclingnews had spoken to in the clammy conditions of Kuala Klawang as the Tour de Langkawi began to unfold.

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Simone Giuliani
Australia Editor

Simone is a degree-qualified journalist that has accumulated decades of wide-ranging experience while working across a variety of leading media organisations. She joined Cyclingnews as a Production Editor at the start of the 2021 season and has now moved into the role of Australia Editor. Previously she worked as a freelance writer, Australian Editor at Ella CyclingTips and as a correspondent for Reuters and Bloomberg. Cycling was initially purely a leisure pursuit for Simone, who started out as a business journalist, but in 2015 her career focus also shifted to the sport.