It was no surprise today to see Sam Bennett listed amongst the nine names set to start the Tour de France for the Bora-Argon-18 team. The German team have previously stated that the Irishman would be one of their protected riders. Their press release announcing the team is below:

German professional cycling team BORA – ARGON 18 has selected its nine riders with whom the 102nd edition of the Tour de France will be tackled. Four German riders provide the largest contingent of the wildcard team. With the only 22-year-old neopro Emanuel Buchmann, BORA – ARGON 18 presents one of the youngest participants of this year’s Tour de France. While Sam Bennett will also make his debut at a Grand Tour, the remaining riders of the selection had already 22 appearances at three-week races.

Jan Barta (30, CZE), Sam Bennett (24, IRL), Emanuel Buchmann (22, GER), Zakkari Dempster (27, AUS), Bartosz Huzarski (34, POL), Jose Mendes (30, POR), Dominik Nerz (25, GER), Andreas Schillinger (31, GER), Paul Voss (29, GER)

“We currently see a very high performance level of the entire team. Accordingly, it was a close decision to name the final places in the tour squad. Ultimately, we decided for an experienced team that supports our dual leadership with Sam Bennett and Dominik Nerz at its best. For this year’s profile of the Tour de France, we appointed a good balance of classic specialists and climbers”, Ralph Denk, Team Manager of BORA – ARGON 18.

“We have proven in the past three years, what we are capable of at Grand Tours thanks to a perfect team performance and very high motivation: attacks until the last kilometer, podiums, stage wins and top placings in the GC. This year, we want to use the biggest event in our sport again to convince with results – at best, of course, with a stage win”, says Denk.
The two reserve riders are: Patrick Konrad (23, AUT), Cesare Benedetti (27, ITA)

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