Up close and personal with the Irish road race champion's aero race bike
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Sam Bennett's S-Works Venge(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Deceuninck-QuickStep are one of the many teams committed to disc brakes in 2020(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
They're also one of a few teams trialling tubeless technology this season(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The Turbo RapidAir tyres have seen a mixed reception in the pro peloton(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The bottom bracket and wheel hubs spin on CeramicSpeed bearings(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Like for 13 others out of the 19 WorldTour teams, Shimano Dura-Ace provides the drivetrain for Deceuninck-QuickStep(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Bennett's bike is fitted with Shimano's Dura-Ace R9100P power meter(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
A carefully placed magnet keeps things reading correctly(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
That magnet provides a second use for this K-Edge chainkeeper(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The Dura-Ace rear mech is affixed using a direct-mount hanger(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Bennett is using a 53/39 chainring combination(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
This is paired with an 11-30 Dura-Ace cassette(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Bennett's saddle of choice is the Specialized Power Expert – a step down from the S-Works carbon rail version.(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
It's perched atop the proprietary Venge carbon seatpost(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The seatpost features a neat home for the Di2 junction box(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
We're unsure why Bennett is using Specialized's older Aerofly carbon handlebar(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
The bar is wrapped in Supacaz Sticky Kush tape(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Tacx Deva carbon bottle cages hold Bennett's bottles steady(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
Deceuninck-QuickStep's nickname, 'The Wolfpack', adorns the inside of the fork leg(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
And the team's logo has pride of place on the top tube(Image credit: Colin Levitch)
With much of the 2020 race calendar looking to be a write-off due to the shutdown of events and social isolation, this season will no doubt be one that most riders will be hoping to salvage what they can from, and move on. For Sam Bennett, the brief taster of the possibilities that the 2020 season could have had in store was a mixed bag.
The Irish road race champion joined Deceuninck-QuickStep at the start of the year from Bora-Hansgrohe, brought in as a sprinter for a team that has seen a lot of previous success from some of the most accomplished finishers in the sport.
We have already featured Bennett's ultra-stiff Specialized Allez Sprint Disc, which he rode at the Schwalbe Classic criterium at the start of the year in Australia. The fast, wet course made it difficult for the Deceuninck-QuickStep team to set up a lead-out train for Bennett in the way that they'd wanted, and he was left short of the result he was looking for, finishing in a disappointing 16th place. However, he soon made up for it with a stage win on Stage 1 of the Tour Down Under just two days later.
Another win at the Race Torquay, and a UAE Tour battle with Lotto Soudal's Caleb Ewan, proved that Bennett's season was well on track, but the UAE Tour was abruptly cut short, marking the beginning of the 2020 season's current coronavirus-caused hiatus.
Bennett's bike is largely similar to his friend and lead-out man Shane Archbold's Venge, which we featured recently. However, there are a few minor differences of note, such as Bennett opting to use the old version of Specialized's Aerofly handlebar, rather than the newer Aerofly II.
Bennett was also one of a few riders at the Tour Down Under trialling tubeless road tyres, and was running Specialized's Turbo RapidAir tyres in 26c width for training rides and the opening criterium. However, he subsequently returned to the tried-and-tested tubular tyres for racing proper.
Eagle-eyed viewers might have noticed Specialized has added a few new sets of wheels to the UCI's list of approved wheels, including a new 51mm-deep Rapide CLX, and a 33mm-deep Alpinist CLX. They're yet to make a competitive appearance, though, and Bennett is using the well-revered CLX50 road wheels.
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Sam Bennett's Specialized S-Works Venge full bike specifications
Frameset: Specialized S-Works Venge
Front brake: Shimano Dura-Ace R9170 Hydraulic Disc caliper
Josh is Associate Editor of Cyclingnews – leading our content on the best bikes, kit and the latest breaking tech stories from the pro peloton.
Josh has been with us since the summer of 2019 and throughout that time he's covered everything from buyer's guides and deals to the latest tech news and reviews. On the bike, Josh has been riding and racing for over 15 years.
He started out racing cross country in his teens back when 26-inch wheels and triple chainsets were still mainstream, but he found favour in road racing in his early 20s, racing at a local and national level for Somerset-based Team Tor 2000.
These days he rides indoors for convenience and fitness, and outdoors for fun on road, gravel, 'cross and cross-country bikes, the latter usually with his two dogs in tow.
