Rider Profile
George Bennett
Israel-Premier Tech
Personal Details:
Teams history:
- 2024 - Israel-Premier Tech
- 2023 - UAE Team Emirates
- 2022 - UAE Team Emirates
- 2021 - Team Jumbo–Visma
- 2020 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2019 - Team Jumbo-Visma
- 2018 - LottoNL-Jumbo
- 2017 - Team LottoNL-Jumbo
- 2016 - Team LottoNl-Jumbo
- 2015 - Team LottoNL-Jumbo
- 2014 - Cannondale
- 2013 - RadioShack Leopard
- 2012 - RadioShack-Nissan
Biography:
New Zealander George Bennett, born April 7, 1990, began racing bicycles as a junior with a club team and then focused on a career in the pro peloton as a 21-year-old with the Trek-Livestrong development programme and as a stagiaire with the RadioShack WorldTour team. That first year he impressed with the overall win at Tour of Wellington and then second overall at Ronde de l’Isard in France.
After two full years with RadioShack ,where he made his Grand Tour debut at the Giro d’Italia in 2013, he moved to Cannondale and capped the year completing the Vuelta a España.
LottoNL-Jumbo then became his home for seven seasons. In 2016, his second year with the team, Bennett had a breakthrough year which saw him make his Tour de France and Olympic Games debuts and finish 10th overall at the Vuelta. Bennett won his first career GC title at the 2017 Amgen Tour of California, including two stage podiums across a steady week of riding. He earned a pair of top 10s on stages 9 and 12 at the Tour de France, which put him in 12th position overall, but illness forced him to abandon stage 16.
The New Zealander took top 10 at the 2018 Giro d'Italia. The next year he was sixth overall at Paris-Nice and then returned to the Amgen Tour of California after missing the previous year and finished fourth overall.
In 2020 he went back-to-back with a victory at Gran Piemonte and second at Il Lombardia. The 2021 season began with a New Zealand road title and he took the silver medal in the individual time trial. He had three top 10s on stages at the Giro, finishing 11th overall.
The 2022 season saw Bennett in the new colours of UAE Team Emirates and he racked up four GC top 10s - New Zealand Cycle Classic, Vuelta a Castilla y Leon, Tour de l’Ain and Tour de Langkawi - however, one main goal was to help Tadej Pogačar at the Tour de France. That quest was derailed with a positive test for COVID-19, which did not allow him to start stage 9. Pogačar ended up finishing second behind Jumbo Visma’s Jonas Vingegaard.
The Tour de Suisse was a key target in 2023 in a Tour build-up, but Bennett was caught in a crash on stage 2 in Switzerland and then pulled out before stage 5. He went to the Tour of Austria, finishing seventh on GC, after not being selected for a sixth Tour de France.
The New Zealander signed a two-year contract to race for Israel-Premier Tech in 2024 and 2025, strengthening the ProTeam's climbing squad.
2023
🥈 New Zealand Road Nationals time trial
2022
🥈 One stage and GC at Vuelta a Castilla y Leon
Fourth GC at Tour de Langkawi
2021
🥇 New Zealand Road Nationals road race
🥈New Zealand Road Nationals time trial
🥉 One stage Giro d’Italia
2020
🥇 Gran Piemonte
🥈 Il Lombardia
🥈 One stage Vuelta a Burgos
🥈 New Zealand Road Nationals road race
🥈 New Zealand Road Nationals time trial
2019
🥉 One stage at Amgen Tour of California
Fourth GC Amgen Tour of California
2018
🥈 Two stages Tour of the Alps
2017
🥇 GC at Amgen Tour of California
Related Articles
George Bennett claims long-awaited New Zealand road race title
By Cyclingnews published
News 'I was down and out a week ago and wrote myself off' says Jumbo-Visma rider
New Zealand Championships: Gate pips George Bennett in time trial as Williams claims women's title
By Cyclingnews published
News Jumbo-Visma rider misses out by 0.7 of a second
Six riders who could replace Tom Dumoulin at the Tour de France
By Daniel Benson published
Analysis Analysing Jumbo-Visma's options for the biggest race of the season
George Bennett 'returns to the magic of cycling' with gravel race this weekend
By Daniel Benson published
News 'This is about travelling with friends, getting ready in the back of the car and just getting out there' says rider
Zeeman on Jumbo-Visma's strength in depth: Kuss has taken a big step forward
By Cyclingnews published
News Dutch sports director says WorldTour team must be ready for 'life after Dumoulin, Kruijswijk and Roglic'
George Bennett: Strengthened Ineos and Pogacar among Jumbo-Visma's 2021 challenges
By Cyclingnews last updated
News New Zealander pays tribute to Roglic after Vuelta a España triumph
Roglic praises Vuelta a España organisers for prioritising rider safety on stage 15
By Alasdair Fotheringham published
News Slovenian says 'no need for extra risks' as GC times taken with 3km to go
George Bennett: Il Lombardia will be a cool battle with Evenepoel
By Stephen Farrand published
News Kiwi hopes to take his chances and continue Jumbo-Visma's success in hills of northern Italy
Blogs
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'Untapped gold' in store for inaugural RADL GRVL in South Australia
Nathan Haas calls gravel course 'raw, fast, exciting' after pre-ride with co-founder Valtteri Bottas -
UCI Gravel Worlds - new course, same criticisms cast doubt on event
Nathan Haas hears feedback from fellow riders on course elevation being 'selective without being stupid' -
Nathan Haas blog: We need to talk about the Unbound mud pit
Was it wrong to not re-route the course? -
Ellen van Dijk - Leading by example
'I have the chance to show the world how normal it should be to perform at a top level as a mother' -
Rukhsar Habibzai - The day I left home
'It is a story shared by thousands of Afghans. It is the day we left home, left our souls and left Afghanistan'