On the face of it Jumbo-Visma – or LottoNL-Jumbo as they were known in 2018 – had a hugely successful Tour de France last season with three stage wins and fourth and fifth overall in Paris. However, behind the scenes the team faced a number of challenges as they attempted to keep the squad working in unison. Sacrificing personal ambitions – one of the most difficult tasks in professional sport – was a constant battle.
Twelve months on and the team are set to embark on an equally challenging Tour de France as they aim for sprint stage wins through Dylan Groenewegen, while at the same time supporting Steven Kruijswijk's podium ambitions. The plan in 2018 was relatively similar, although few expected Primoz Roglic to be as strong as he was, and this time around the squad have far more defined roles than in the past.
That's partly why the squad of eight was announced so early this year. George Bennett somewhat personifies the team's mentality going into this Tour. A rider who has cracked the top 10 in Grand Tours twice in his career to date, he arrives in Brussels with no personal ambitions whatsoever, with his entire remit to protect and serve the team's two main leaders.
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"We've got a lot of objectives and I'm going to be busy, with mainly Dylan for the sprints and Steven for the GC. For everyone else it's just all hands on deck and working," he told Cyclingnews on the eve of the Tour.
"The first day I might even chasing some breakaway and working. Then I'll be looking after Steven. I'm basically moving spare parts. Wheels, bikes, whatever. I might have to chuck over and help Dylan chase breakaways if things get out of control. It's not really a case of me half riding a GC. It's really about me just doing my part."
Unlike last year, when Kruijswijk and Roglic were allowed to ride for themselves in the mountains, Bennett was asked to park his personal Tour ambitions at the door as far back as December of last year. Instead, he would be asked to sacrifice his legs over the three weeks without even thinking of stage-hunting or of his own GC chances. Although that was a tough pill to swallow for a rider of Bennett's calibre, it has at the very least created clarity within the ranks. And for Bennett, the chance of returning to the Tour after a hiatus was too much to pass up on.
You can read more at Cyclingnews.com
via Cyclingnews Latest Interviews and Features http://www.cyclingnews.com/features/analysing-jumbo-vismas-tour-de-france-team-with-george-bennett
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