Good George splits cash, eyes Europe
Not long after winning the Tour of California on Sunday, George Bennett was presented with a brand new Lexus RS as part of his of his prize.
He sat in the luxurious car, while being filmed and photographed and played with a few buttons, but that’s the last he’ll ever see of the car.
That’s because instead of having it shipped over to his home in Girona, Spain, he decided to take cash for it instead and then give it away.
‘‘I ended up taking a cash payout and splitting it between my teammates,’’ Bennett said from Spain, after returning from Los Angeles.
‘‘The boys rode for me all week and they sacrificed their chances of getting a result. So it’s a bit rough if I’m charging around in a brand new Lexus and they just get a pat on the back.
‘‘So I’ll split it up between the riders. I have a car over here and there’s no point taking a car to New Zealand that has the steering wheel on the wrong side anyway.’’
Bennett’s generous gesture has no doubt gone down well inside his Lotto NL Jumbo team, but it shows how the 27-year-old is maturing into one of the best general classification riders in the world.
His 10th place finish at last year’s Vuelta a Espana was the best indicator up to that point that he was about to take a step forward as a road cyclist and California proved he’s close to being with the world’s elite.
There was a moment on the podium after the final stage in California which showed the high regard Bennett is being held in.
Two-time world champion Peter Sagan, who won the green jersey at the race, leaned over towards Bennett during the presentations, gave him a smile and a pat on the back.
‘‘I was team-mates with Peter in 2014 (at Cannondale), so I know him pretty well. But he also was very complimentary and that tap on the back was a bit of a ‘welcome to the podium’ gesture.
‘‘He was giving me advice about how not to get champagne in your eyes too!’’
There’s a definite hierarchy in road racing, where a rider’s status determines how much respect a rider gets inside the peloton. Winning the Tour of California has boosted Bennett’s reputation.
‘‘It definitely has, but I really want to prove it now in Europe, to cement my place as one of the big riders,’’ he said. ’’If I can replicate it in Europe, I’ll be among those riders. I’m on the verge, the jury is still out and I have to do it in Europe.
‘‘There were still a huge amount of positive comments from the riders and as a cyclist, the biggest compliment you can get is when someone who was there and felt how hard it was and you’ve then attacked them.
‘‘When you get a compliment from them, that’s the biggest one you can get. I’m now hungry to replicate it in this part of the world.’’
The win doesn’t yet put Bennett up with the likes of Chris Froome, Nairo Quintana, Richie Porte or Alberto Contador, but it does elevate him up to the group just behind.
in Bennett’s three stage races before the Tour of California, where some of those in the top echelon were also racing, he finished seventh, ninth and 11th. I really want to prove it now in Europe, to cement my place as one of the big riders.
Good results, but Bennett now wants more. ’’In the big races, being in the top 10 is really nice,’’ he said. ’’But it was still a step away from the five guys who when it’s really on the limit and I’m getting dropped, they can attack.
‘‘There were about 10 guys who weren’t at the Tour of California, who’ve I’ve raced consistently throughout the season. There is only Richie Porte from BMC and then the Movistar and Sky teams. Some of the accelerations they make are unbelievable. ‘‘So that’s the next target for me.’’ Although Bennett went directly to Spain after last week’s success, he says he was aware of the media attention his win received in New Zealand.
‘‘There are young guys coming up who are going to start nipping at my heels soon and I’m hoping that this isn’t the last time there’s a spotlight on cycling in New Zealand, I hope there’s going to be a lot of it,’’ he said.