Sam Bennett will not be riding the Tour de France for the second year running.
His team Bora-Hansgrohe has decided to omit the 2020 green jersey winner, having named seven of their eight riders on Thursday.
The final rider for their lineup will be a climber, ruling Bennett out of contention for the showpiece event in July.
Jordi Meesus is the preferred sprint option for the German outfit with Jai Hindley their contender for the general classification.
Previous success
Bennett claimed the points classification jersey in 2020, crossing the line in Paris with nearly 100 points more than long-time rival and two-time defending champion Peter Sagan.
The Carrick-on-Suir native won stage 10 at Íle de Ré beating his friend Caleb Ewan in the sprint finish to claim his first-ever stage win on the Grand Tour.
He would go on to survive the mountain stages with the help of his Deceuninck–Quick-Step teammates, cresting some of the biggest climbs to feature on the tour - Le Grand Colombier as well as La Planche des Belles Filles.
A missed opportunity
In 2021, injury and an internal dispute with Deceuninck–Quick-Step Director Sportif Patrick Leffevre denied Bennett the chance to defend his jersey. Veteran Mark Cavendish was picked by the Belgian manager to replace Bennett. The Manx rider secured his second-ever green jersey, winning four stages across the three weeks.
Following the disappointment of 2021, Bennett returned to his previous team Bora-Hansgrohe, but once again missed out on selection for the tour. Instead, he was picked to ride the Vuelta a Espana, winning two stages in all, but failing to feature in the final points classification standings.
Results this year
So far in 2023, the former Irish national champion has struggled to pick up meaningful wins. His stage win on day one of the Tour De San Juan stands alone as his only top trumps effort.
While he has had to settle for second and third more than he would have liked, his Belgian counterpart Meesus is in a similar standing; he has only stood on the top step of the podium once this calendar year, winning the Circuit de Charleroi Wallonie.
The next target for Bennett will likely be the Vuelta in August, having won five stages in Spain in his three previous outings.
