Daniele Bennati
Encyclopedia
Daniele Bennati is an Italian
road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes
. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini
’s leadout train. Upon joining the team in 2005, he demonstrated the ability to win on his own, and has continued to do so since joining in 2008. He is an excellent sprinter, and has won 10 stages in Grand Tours (two in the Tour de France
, three in the Giro d’Italia, and five in the Vuelta a España
) in the last four years. He won the points jersey in the 2007 Vuelta a España. In 2008 he also won the points jersey in the Giro d’Italia, but missed the 2008 Tour de France with a tendon injury. He came back to win a stage in the Vuelta a España.
, Tuscany
, into a family of cyclists. His father did well as an amateur, and his brother raced as a junior. Daniele entered and won his first race at the age of 9. As an amateur he raced in the Grassi Mapei team, and won a stage of the Giro delle Regioni.
. Bennati soon showed a turn of speed of his own: in March 2002, he finished second in a stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali (behind Alessandro Petacchi
). He took his first victory in June at the Tour of Austria, and another two months later at the Regio-Tour
. He was an important part of “The Lion King’s” leadout train: alongside Guido Trenti
, Mario Scirea, Martin Derganc and Giovanni Lombardi
, he helped Cipollini to some of his fourteen victories that year. When Cipollini dropped out of the Vuelta a España, Bennati received his team’s support and managed his first strong result in a Grand Tour sprint stage, 5th at Burgos
. A few days later, he too dropped out.
In 2003, Bennati stayed with the same team, although it had changed sponsors and was now called Domina Vacanze
. As his stature grew, Bennati was seen at Cipollini’s side in the Lion King’s favorite Italian races. In the Grand Tours, Cipollini followed his usual practice of dropping out when the road went up, which gave Bennati a chance to race for himself – he was second to Alessandro Petacchi
in one of the stages of the Giro d’Italia. His two wins for the year came in stages of the Mediterranean Tour (in February) and in the Tour of Poland (in September).
, which then merged with Lampre
to form Lampre-Caffita, a larger team that designed to compete in the Pro Tour
.
, and a teammate (Bonomi). Nevertheless, he accumulated a number of good finishes (5th in a stage of Tirreno–Adriatico, 28th at Milan – San Remo). His first important result was in Gent–Wevelgem, where he outsprinted Thor Hushovd
and Fabian Cancellara
for 3rd place (behind the breakaway of Nico Mattan
and Juan Antonio Flecha
). A few weeks later, Bennati won the Tour of Tuscany. He did not compete in the Giro d’Italia (where Lampre concentrated on the overall victory with Gilberto Simoni
and Damiano Cunego
), nor did he ride the Tour de France
. In August, however, he shone. He won three stages and the points jersey in the Tour of Germany
, and had good placings in important races such as the Grand Prix de Plouay (4th), the Coppa Placci
(5th), and the Giro di Romagna (2nd). September brought two more stage victories in the Tour of Poland. Thanks to these results, he was chosen for the Italian national team that competed in the Madrid World Championships (this was not considered a successful race for the Italians; the leader, Paolo Bettini
, finished 13th). At the season’s close, Bennati was ranked 28th in the UCI Pro Tour standings, and had become a rider to watch.
During the off-season, Bennati’s team changed its secondary sponsor, becoming Lampre-Fondital
, and signed another promising Italian sprinter, Danilo Napolitano
, setting up a competition for the top sprinter’s spot on the team.
Bennati started the 2006 season with two second places in the GP Costa degli Etruschi (behind Alessandro Petacchi, who had taken over Cipollini’s mantle as the dominant Italian sprinter), and then took his first win of the season in February’s Volta a la Communitat Valenciana, four seconds ahead of the peloton (Napolitano took second place). In March, Bennati was due to be the team’s leader for the important races. He probably was not fully recovered when he started the Tour of Flanders
, and had to drop out there as well, and was unable to start Gent–Wevelgem. Ten days later, however, a fully recovered Bennati won the final stage of the Giro del Trentino
(his team-mate, Cunego, won the overall). The next week, he competed in the Tour de Romandie
, where Robbie McEwen
showed that Bennati was not quite at the top level.
The Lampre team for the Giro d'Italia was again built around the overall competition, and Bennati was not included. Instead, he participated in the Vuelta a Catalunya, winning the final stage ahead of Erik Zabel
. In early June, he outsprinted his two breakaway companions to win the Memorial Marco Pantani
. Although he could only manage 2nd and 3rd places in the Tour of Switzerland, he did wear the leader’s jersey for one day and won the points jersey. July brought Bennati to his first Tour de France
. He was among the top ten finishers in eight stages, including a 2nd place behind McEwen. He dropped out after a fall during the 16th stage; he was third in the points jersey competition at the time.
Two months later, Bennati returned to the Tour of Poland, where he won two stages and wore the leader’s jersey for two days. The following weekend, he won two more races: the GP Citta di Misano-Adriatico and the GP Industria e Commercio di Prato, but was not chosen for the Italian World Championships team, as the selector (Franco Ballerini
) opted to do without any sprinters.
Although his result in the sprinter’s classic, Paris–Tours, was disappointing (37th), Bennati ended his season with a victory at the Giro del Piemonte
. This brought him to a total of 9 victories in 2006, but he dropped to 87th place in the Pro Tour standings – largely due to his absence from the spring classics due to illness.
(with Daniele Righi
, Giuliano Figueras
, Caudio Corioni, and Mauro Santambrogio
) and began the 2007 racing season with two wins in February. In the Tour Méditerranéean he won one stage (with strong support from his teammate Alessandro Ballan
), had two 2nd places (in one of them, he was beaten by a hair by Mirco Lorenzetto
in a finale identical to that of Milan – San Remo) and won the points jersey. After a fourth place at the Trofeo Laigueglia
, Bennati outsprinted Petacchi for three wins in the Volta a la Communidat Valenciana. Unlike previous years, Bennati did not compete in Tirreno–Adriatico, choosing to ride Paris–Nice instead, where he had some high finishes but no victories. Once again, he was stricken by illness just prior to Milan – San Remo, where he finished 26th, and the Grand Prix E3 was a disappointment for the same reason.
Bennati’s form improved in the beginning of April, where he won one stage of the Dreidaagse De Panne. In the Tour of Flanders
, he worked hard for his team-mate, Alessandro Ballan
, who won in a sprint (ahead of Leif Hoste
). Although he was one of the favorites for the mid-week classic Gent–Wevelgem, Bennati had to withdraw because of a fever and intestinal difficulties. He started Paris–Roubaix but did not make it to the finish at the velodrome. His troubles continued into May; Bennati had to drop out of the Volta a Catalunya (though he did manage a third place in one stage). But in the Tour of Switzerland he recovered his health and won the points jersey; although he had no stage victories, he had a second place in the prologue (behind Cancellara
), and second places in two other stages as well (behind Zabel
and McEwen
). A few days later, Bennati took 6th place in the Italian National Championships.
In July, Bennati rode in the Tour de France
for the second time; he now had enough stature that his goals of winning a stage and competing for the points jersey were considered reasonable. As his team had no rider for the overall standings, he could count on help from his team-mates Ballan, Napolitano, and Corioni. However, he fell in the last kilometer of the second stage and was not able to unleash his sprint until he had recovered somewhat from his injuries. In the fifth stage, he finished 3rd (behind Filippo Pozzato and Óscar Freire). There followed a 6th place, a 4th place, some unsuccessful breakaways, and then, after the last mountain stages, Bennati won twice, including the prestigious final stage on the Champs-Elysees
.
On the strength of his successes, he was named the leader of the Lampre team for the Vattenfall Cyclassics
race, but watched as his team-mate Ballan took off from the peloton and held on to win.
In September, Bennati raced in his second Grand Tour of the season. He won the first stage (ahead of Óscar Freire
and Alessandro Petacchi
) and wore the leader’s jersey for a day, losing it after a fall two kilometers from the finish of the second stage. After two second places, he came into his own during the final week, just as he had in the Tour de France: Bennati won the 17th stage and then the final stage in Madrid, taking the leadership in the contest for the points jersey on the final day of the race. This victory, his tenth of 2007, marked the end of Bennati’s season. Although he had been scheduled to compete in the Monte Paschi Eroica
and Paris–Tours, he was found to have a broken wrist that ruled out any more racing.
During the final week of the Vuelta a España, Bennati had signed a two-year contract with a new team: Liquigas
. Claudio Corioni and Enrico Franzoi, valuable team-mates who formed an important part of his leadout train, also signed for Liquigas.
, whose primary targets for the year would be similar. Any conflict in their spring racing goals disappeared, however, with Bennati’s knee injury (“a slight patellar chondropathy in the left knee, associated with inflammation of the lateral ligament”) keeping him out of action until the end of April. He did not finish his first race back (the Giro d’Oro). In his next race, the Giro del Trentino, he took 17th in the opening time trial but did not figure in any of the stage finishes. The Tour de Romandie opened with a very short prologue, where Bennati took second behind Mark Cavendish
. He also took second behind Robbie McEwen
in the first sprint finish, showing that he was coming back into form. This was confirmed with a victory in the final stage, giving him first place in the points classification.
The 2008 Giro d’Italia was a success for Bennati, and was marked by a series of battles with the young Manxman, Mark Cavendish
. Bennati won the third stage, into Milazzo; the following day, Cavendish won the stage to Lungomare (his first Grand Tour win). The next sprinters’ stage was the ninth; Bennati won, by a whisker, over Paolo Bettini
, who was racing his final Giro d’Italia. Bennati also won the 12th stage, with a narrow margin over Cavendish; the order was reversed the following day. His three stage victories (in a Giro with few stages suitable for sprinters) also gave Bennati the points jersey.
However, Bennati paid a price for the points jersey: the long pull in cold weather over the Mortirolo Pass caused an inflammation of Bennati’s left Achilles tendon (the same leg as the knee injury).
He did not return to competition until August, at the Eneco Tour. There he was second to Tom Boonen
in the second stage before winning the third stage and taking the leader's jersey for a day. He was dropped in the fourth stage, finishing in 88th place 22 seconds behind Boonen and losing the lead in the GC to Andre Greipel
. Bennati then dropped out of the Eneco Tour and proceeded to the Vuelta a España
in good form – where Filippo Pozzato was also a team leader. The Liquigas team won the first stage, a team time trial, with Pozzato crossing the line first and donning the leader’s jersey (Bennati was 4th). Bennati served as a domestique for Pozzato during the first stage, but when Pozzato did not retain the leader’s jersey he was able to ride for himself. He was 2nd (to Tom Boonen) the following day, and then won the fourth stage (beating Boonen), but dropped out after the 9th stage.
Bennati was not named to the Italian team for the World Championships, and his bad luck in Paris–Tours, the sprinters’ classic, continued; he finished 8th in a race marked by Philippe Gilbert
’s inspiring victory.
However, Bennati won his final race of the year, the Giro del Piemonte
; it was his second victory in this race, which he also won in 2006.
Bennati's combination of sprinting talent, good looks, and attractive smile have won him many fans, and his 2009 season is eagerly anticipated by the cycling cognoscenti. The growing rivalry between Cavendish and Bennati promises to enliven sprinting at the Grand Tours for many years to come.
Note: Most of this biography was loosely translated from the entry for Daniele Bennati on the French language version of Wikipedia. The section on the 2008 racing season was compiled from results and coverage at www.cyclingnews.com.
2003
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
road racing cyclist specializing in fast sprint finishes
Cycling sprinter
A cycling sprinter is a road bicycle racer or track racer who can finish a race very explosively by accelerating quickly to a high speed, often using the slipstream of another cyclist or group of cyclists tactically to conserve energy.-The road sprinter:...
. He currently rides for UCI ProTeam . He turned professional in 2002, when he joined the team and wore zebra stripes as part of Mario Cipollini
Mario Cipollini
Mario Cipollini , often abbreviated to "Cipo", is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance and his colourful personality. His nicknames include Il Re Leone and Super Mario...
’s leadout train. Upon joining the team in 2005, he demonstrated the ability to win on his own, and has continued to do so since joining in 2008. He is an excellent sprinter, and has won 10 stages in Grand Tours (two in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, three in the Giro d’Italia, and five in the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
) in the last four years. He won the points jersey in the 2007 Vuelta a España. In 2008 he also won the points jersey in the Giro d’Italia, but missed the 2008 Tour de France with a tendon injury. He came back to win a stage in the Vuelta a España.
Early days
Bennati was born at ArezzoArezzo
Arezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, into a family of cyclists. His father did well as an amateur, and his brother raced as a junior. Daniele entered and won his first race at the age of 9. As an amateur he raced in the Grassi Mapei team, and won a stage of the Giro delle Regioni.
2002-3 At the side of Mario Cipollini
At the age of 21 Bennati turned pro and joined the Acqua & Sapone team of the great Italian sprinter Mario CipolliniMario Cipollini
Mario Cipollini , often abbreviated to "Cipo", is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance and his colourful personality. His nicknames include Il Re Leone and Super Mario...
. Bennati soon showed a turn of speed of his own: in March 2002, he finished second in a stage of the Settimana Coppi e Bartali (behind Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for .A specialist sprinter, Petacchi has won 51 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia in 2004, the Vuelta a España in 2005 and the Tour de France in 2010.In 2007 Alessandro was banned from cycling...
). He took his first victory in June at the Tour of Austria, and another two months later at the Regio-Tour
Regio-Tour
The Regio-Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held between France, Switzerland and Germany. It was first held in 1985 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
. He was an important part of “The Lion King’s” leadout train: alongside Guido Trenti
Guido Trenti
Guido Trenti is an American-Italian professional road racing cyclist who has ridden in each of the three Grand Tours.Trenti was born to an American mother and Italian father, allowing him to maintain dual citizenship...
, Mario Scirea, Martin Derganc and Giovanni Lombardi
Giovanni Lombardi
Giovanni Lombardi is an Italian former professional road bicycling racer who raced from 1992 to 2006. He started his career as a sprinter, winning multiple stages in the Giro d'Italia. He went on to ride as an important helper for the top sprinter names of Erik Zabel and Mario Cipollini. Most...
, he helped Cipollini to some of his fourteen victories that year. When Cipollini dropped out of the Vuelta a España, Bennati received his team’s support and managed his first strong result in a Grand Tour sprint stage, 5th at Burgos
Burgos
Burgos is a city of northern Spain, historic capital of Castile. It is situated at the edge of the central plateau, with about 178,966 inhabitants in the city proper and another 20,000 in its suburbs. It is the capital of the province of Burgos, in the autonomous community of Castile and León...
. A few days later, he too dropped out.
In 2003, Bennati stayed with the same team, although it had changed sponsors and was now called Domina Vacanze
Domina Vacanze
Domina Vacanze is a hotel group based in Italy. They are best known for the professional cycling team they sponsored. For the 2005 season the team competed in the 2005 UCI ProTour however they didn't have the budget of the other teams and produced very few wins...
. As his stature grew, Bennati was seen at Cipollini’s side in the Lion King’s favorite Italian races. In the Grand Tours, Cipollini followed his usual practice of dropping out when the road went up, which gave Bennati a chance to race for himself – he was second to Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for .A specialist sprinter, Petacchi has won 51 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia in 2004, the Vuelta a España in 2005 and the Tour de France in 2010.In 2007 Alessandro was banned from cycling...
in one of the stages of the Giro d’Italia. His two wins for the year came in stages of the Mediterranean Tour (in February) and in the Tour of Poland (in September).
2004: A difficult season
At the end of 2003, Bennati signed a contract with the Phonak team. However, his year in the Swiss team was spoiled by a virus that forced him to drop out of Tirreno–Adriatico, and was followed by a recovery of several months. In 2005, he signed a contract with the Italian team SaecoSaeco
Saeco is an Italian manufacturer of espresso machines and other electrical goods, head quartered near Bologna.-History:The company was founded by Sergio Zappella and Arthur Schmed in 1981....
, which then merged with Lampre
Lampre
The Lampre group is an Italian based company that specialises in pre-coated steel production. In addition to the main company the group also contains Lamital and Lamfer, as well as a Portuguese subsidiary called Lampre Portugal.-Lampre as a sponsor of cycling:...
to form Lampre-Caffita, a larger team that designed to compete in the Pro Tour
Pro Tour
Pro Tour may refer to* UCI ProTour, a cycling competition under the Union Cycliste Internationale* Pro Beach Soccer Tour, international beach soccer events* Pro Tour , an invitation-only tournament for Magic: The Gathering...
.
2005–2006 Lampre – the breakout years
At Lampre, Bennati grew from a promising domestique into a top sprinter. This transition was not instantaneous: early in 2005, he finished sprints behind both his old leader, CipolliniMario Cipollini
Mario Cipollini , often abbreviated to "Cipo", is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance and his colourful personality. His nicknames include Il Re Leone and Super Mario...
, and a teammate (Bonomi). Nevertheless, he accumulated a number of good finishes (5th in a stage of Tirreno–Adriatico, 28th at Milan – San Remo). His first important result was in Gent–Wevelgem, where he outsprinted Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd
Thor Hushovd is a Norwegian professional road bicycle racer riding . He has signed for from 2012 onwards. He is known for sprinting and time trialing and is the 2010 Norwegian and world road champion. He is the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road...
and Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...
for 3rd place (behind the breakaway of Nico Mattan
Nico Mattan
Nico Mattan is a Belgian former road racing cyclist. His greatest achievement in cycling was winning the Gent–Wevelgem classic in 2005....
and Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha
Juan Antonio Flecha Giannoni is an Argentine-born Spanish professional road bicycle racer for the UCI ProTour team .-Career:...
). A few weeks later, Bennati won the Tour of Tuscany. He did not compete in the Giro d’Italia (where Lampre concentrated on the overall victory with Gilberto Simoni
Gilberto Simoni
Gilberto Simoni is an Italian ex-professional road bicycle racer, most recently for . Simoni is twice winner of the Giro d'Italia cycling race...
and Damiano Cunego
Damiano Cunego
Damiano Cunego is an Italian professional road racing cyclist who rides for the Italian UCI ProTeam . His biggest wins are the 2004 Giro d'Italia, the 2008 Amstel Gold Race, and the Giro di Lombardia in 2004, 2007, 2008. He finished second in the UCI Road World Championships in 2008 and in the...
), nor did he ride the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. In August, however, he shone. He won three stages and the points jersey in the Tour of Germany
Tour of Germany
The Tour of Germany is a nordic combined event first established in Germany for the 2006-07 Nordic Combined World Cup season by the International Ski Federation....
, and had good placings in important races such as the Grand Prix de Plouay (4th), the Coppa Placci
Coppa Placci
The Coppa Placci is a semi classic European bicycle race held between Imola, Italy and San Marino. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour....
(5th), and the Giro di Romagna (2nd). September brought two more stage victories in the Tour of Poland. Thanks to these results, he was chosen for the Italian national team that competed in the Madrid World Championships (this was not considered a successful race for the Italians; the leader, Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classics specialist of his generation, and probably one of the strongest of all times, he won gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics road race and in the 2006...
, finished 13th). At the season’s close, Bennati was ranked 28th in the UCI Pro Tour standings, and had become a rider to watch.
During the off-season, Bennati’s team changed its secondary sponsor, becoming Lampre-Fondital
Lampre-Fondital
Lampre-ISD is an Italian road bicycle racing team. It was known in 2005 as Lampre-Caffita, a fusion of the previous Lampre and teams. Lampre is an Italian manufacturer of prefinished steel sheet materials. ISD is a Ukrainian steel manufacturer. The team is a member of the UCI ProTour, and has...
, and signed another promising Italian sprinter, Danilo Napolitano
Danilo Napolitano
Danilo Napolitano is an Italian professional road racing cyclist on , and is chiefly known for his sprinting abilities....
, setting up a competition for the top sprinter’s spot on the team.
Bennati started the 2006 season with two second places in the GP Costa degli Etruschi (behind Alessandro Petacchi, who had taken over Cipollini’s mantle as the dominant Italian sprinter), and then took his first win of the season in February’s Volta a la Communitat Valenciana, four seconds ahead of the peloton (Napolitano took second place). In March, Bennati was due to be the team’s leader for the important races. He probably was not fully recovered when he started the Tour of Flanders
Tour of Flanders
The Tour of Flanders is a Flanders Classics road cycling race held in Belgium every spring, a week before the Paris–Roubaix road race. It is part of the UCI World Tour and one of the so-called monuments of the European professional calendar. It is the most important cycling race in Flanders...
, and had to drop out there as well, and was unable to start Gent–Wevelgem. Ten days later, however, a fully recovered Bennati won the final stage of the Giro del Trentino
Giro del Trentino
The Giro del Trentino is an Italian cycle road race. It is run typically mid-to-late April over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Italy....
(his team-mate, Cunego, won the overall). The next week, he competed in the Tour de Romandie
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
, where Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, for on the UCI ProTour, specializing in sprint finishes...
showed that Bennati was not quite at the top level.
The Lampre team for the Giro d'Italia was again built around the overall competition, and Bennati was not included. Instead, he participated in the Vuelta a Catalunya, winning the final stage ahead of Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel is a former German professional road bicycle racer who last raced with Milram. With over 200 professional wins he is considered by some one of the greatest German cyclists and best cycling sprinters of history...
. In early June, he outsprinted his two breakaway companions to win the Memorial Marco Pantani
Memorial Marco Pantani
The Memorial Marco Pantani is professional road bicycle race held annually in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The race has been organized since 2004 and serves as a memory of Marco Pantani. The race starts in Cesenatico, Marco Pantani hometown, and follows a route towards his birthplace, Cesena...
. Although he could only manage 2nd and 3rd places in the Tour of Switzerland, he did wear the leader’s jersey for one day and won the points jersey. July brought Bennati to his first Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. He was among the top ten finishers in eight stages, including a 2nd place behind McEwen. He dropped out after a fall during the 16th stage; he was third in the points jersey competition at the time.
Two months later, Bennati returned to the Tour of Poland, where he won two stages and wore the leader’s jersey for two days. The following weekend, he won two more races: the GP Citta di Misano-Adriatico and the GP Industria e Commercio di Prato, but was not chosen for the Italian World Championships team, as the selector (Franco Ballerini
Franco Ballerini
Franco Ballerini was an Italian road racing cyclist.Born in Florence, his greatest exploits as a rider came with his two victories in the cycling classic Paris–Roubaix, riding for the Mapei cycling team. In 1993 he was beaten on the line by Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle in an exciting Paris–Roubaix finale...
) opted to do without any sprinters.
Although his result in the sprinter’s classic, Paris–Tours, was disappointing (37th), Bennati ended his season with a victory at the Giro del Piemonte
Giro del Piemonte
The Giro del Piemonte is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour...
. This brought him to a total of 9 victories in 2006, but he dropped to 87th place in the Pro Tour standings – largely due to his absence from the spring classics due to illness.
2007 – Bennati comes into his own
Bennati spent much of his off-season training in the Canary IslandsCanary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
(with Daniele Righi
Daniele Righi
Daniele Righi is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Lampre-Fondital.- External links :*...
, Giuliano Figueras
Giuliano Figueras
Giuliano Figueras is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. He turned professional in 1998 with Mapei team and won a stage of the Tour de Langkawi that year. In 1999 and 2000 Figueras had 7 wins including a stage of the Giro di Romandia. He rode for the Panaria-Fiordo team for 4 years...
, Caudio Corioni, and Mauro Santambrogio
Mauro Santambrogio
Mauro Santambrogio is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam .- Palmarès :2004Mauro Santambrogio is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for UCI ProTeam ....
) and began the 2007 racing season with two wins in February. In the Tour Méditerranéean he won one stage (with strong support from his teammate Alessandro Ballan
Alessandro Ballan
Alessandro Ballan is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team , and is a former world champion. Although he possesses a frame that is usually more associated with climbing, Ballan has established himself as a leading spring classics contender in recent years...
), had two 2nd places (in one of them, he was beaten by a hair by Mirco Lorenzetto
Mirco Lorenzetto
Mirco Lorenzetto is an Italian racing cyclist with UCI ProTeam . He has won victories in the Tour Méditerranéen 2007, the Tour of Sardegna and Giro del Friuli in 2009.Lorenzetto became a professional cyclist in 2004...
in a finale identical to that of Milan – San Remo) and won the points jersey. After a fourth place at the Trofeo Laigueglia
Trofeo Laigueglia
The Trofeo Laigueglia is an early season road bicycle race held annually in Liguria, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is held about ten days after the opening to the Italian season, the Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi.-Palmarès:...
, Bennati outsprinted Petacchi for three wins in the Volta a la Communidat Valenciana. Unlike previous years, Bennati did not compete in Tirreno–Adriatico, choosing to ride Paris–Nice instead, where he had some high finishes but no victories. Once again, he was stricken by illness just prior to Milan – San Remo, where he finished 26th, and the Grand Prix E3 was a disappointment for the same reason.
Bennati’s form improved in the beginning of April, where he won one stage of the Dreidaagse De Panne. In the Tour of Flanders
Tour of Flanders
The Tour of Flanders is a Flanders Classics road cycling race held in Belgium every spring, a week before the Paris–Roubaix road race. It is part of the UCI World Tour and one of the so-called monuments of the European professional calendar. It is the most important cycling race in Flanders...
, he worked hard for his team-mate, Alessandro Ballan
Alessandro Ballan
Alessandro Ballan is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI Professional Continental team , and is a former world champion. Although he possesses a frame that is usually more associated with climbing, Ballan has established himself as a leading spring classics contender in recent years...
, who won in a sprint (ahead of Leif Hoste
Leif Hoste
Leif Hoste is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist since 1998. He rides on the UCI ProTour for . His career highlights include winning two stages and the overall title at the 2006 Three Days of De Panne, the 2001 and 2006 Belgian national time trial championships, and a second place finish...
). Although he was one of the favorites for the mid-week classic Gent–Wevelgem, Bennati had to withdraw because of a fever and intestinal difficulties. He started Paris–Roubaix but did not make it to the finish at the velodrome. His troubles continued into May; Bennati had to drop out of the Volta a Catalunya (though he did manage a third place in one stage). But in the Tour of Switzerland he recovered his health and won the points jersey; although he had no stage victories, he had a second place in the prologue (behind Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...
), and second places in two other stages as well (behind Zabel
Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel is a former German professional road bicycle racer who last raced with Milram. With over 200 professional wins he is considered by some one of the greatest German cyclists and best cycling sprinters of history...
and McEwen
Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, for on the UCI ProTour, specializing in sprint finishes...
). A few days later, Bennati took 6th place in the Italian National Championships.
In July, Bennati rode in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
for the second time; he now had enough stature that his goals of winning a stage and competing for the points jersey were considered reasonable. As his team had no rider for the overall standings, he could count on help from his team-mates Ballan, Napolitano, and Corioni. However, he fell in the last kilometer of the second stage and was not able to unleash his sprint until he had recovered somewhat from his injuries. In the fifth stage, he finished 3rd (behind Filippo Pozzato and Óscar Freire). There followed a 6th place, a 4th place, some unsuccessful breakaways, and then, after the last mountain stages, Bennati won twice, including the prestigious final stage on the Champs-Elysees
Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a prestigious avenue in Paris, France. With its cinemas, cafés, luxury specialty shops and clipped horse-chestnut trees, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées is one of the most famous streets and one of the most expensive strip of real estate in the world. The name is...
.
On the strength of his successes, he was named the leader of the Lampre team for the Vattenfall Cyclassics
Vattenfall Cyclassics
The Vattenfall Cyclassics is an annual one-day pro and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg. Although it is a race with a short history, it is nevertheless reckoned as a classic. It started as an unimportant race in 1996, but because of the fast growing popularity of cycling in Germany, it...
race, but watched as his team-mate Ballan took off from the peloton and held on to win.
In September, Bennati raced in his second Grand Tour of the season. He won the first stage (ahead of Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire
Óscar Freire Gómez is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer, riding for the UCI ProTeam Rabobank. He is one of the top sprinters in road bicycle racing, having won the world championship a three times, equalling Alfredo Binda, Rik Van Steenbergen and Eddy Merckx...
and Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for .A specialist sprinter, Petacchi has won 51 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia in 2004, the Vuelta a España in 2005 and the Tour de France in 2010.In 2007 Alessandro was banned from cycling...
) and wore the leader’s jersey for a day, losing it after a fall two kilometers from the finish of the second stage. After two second places, he came into his own during the final week, just as he had in the Tour de France: Bennati won the 17th stage and then the final stage in Madrid, taking the leadership in the contest for the points jersey on the final day of the race. This victory, his tenth of 2007, marked the end of Bennati’s season. Although he had been scheduled to compete in the Monte Paschi Eroica
Monte Paschi Eroica
The Montepaschi Strade Bianche, formerly known as Monte Paschi Eroica, is a road bicycle race held annually near Siena, in the region of Tuscany, Italy. The race was first organised in 2007 as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour and was held in October. From 2008 on the event has found a space in...
and Paris–Tours, he was found to have a broken wrist that ruled out any more racing.
During the final week of the Vuelta a España, Bennati had signed a two-year contract with a new team: Liquigas
Liquigas
Liquigas-Cannondale is an Italian professional road bicycle racing team in the UCI ProTour. The current title sponsor is Liquigas, a provider of liquified gas products in Italy. The second sponsor, Cannondale, is an American bicycle manufacturing company, whose sponsorship has led to a small...
. Claudio Corioni and Enrico Franzoi, valuable team-mates who formed an important part of his leadout train, also signed for Liquigas.
2008 – Liquigas
The move to Liquigas brought up some potential frictions: they now had two stars, Bennati and Filippo PozzatoFilippo Pozzato
Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato is an Italian road racing cyclist with UCI ProTour Team Katusha.-Career:...
, whose primary targets for the year would be similar. Any conflict in their spring racing goals disappeared, however, with Bennati’s knee injury (“a slight patellar chondropathy in the left knee, associated with inflammation of the lateral ligament”) keeping him out of action until the end of April. He did not finish his first race back (the Giro d’Oro). In his next race, the Giro del Trentino, he took 17th in the opening time trial but did not figure in any of the stage finishes. The Tour de Romandie opened with a very short prologue, where Bennati took second behind Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
. He also took second behind Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen
Robbie McEwen is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, for on the UCI ProTour, specializing in sprint finishes...
in the first sprint finish, showing that he was coming back into form. This was confirmed with a victory in the final stage, giving him first place in the points classification.
The 2008 Giro d’Italia was a success for Bennati, and was marked by a series of battles with the young Manxman, Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish
Mark Cavendish MBE is a Manx professional road racing cyclist who rides for UCI ProTeam until the end of this season when the team is dissolved. He will join Team Sky at the start of the 2012 season...
. Bennati won the third stage, into Milazzo; the following day, Cavendish won the stage to Lungomare (his first Grand Tour win). The next sprinters’ stage was the ninth; Bennati won, by a whisker, over Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini
Paolo Bettini is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classics specialist of his generation, and probably one of the strongest of all times, he won gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics road race and in the 2006...
, who was racing his final Giro d’Italia. Bennati also won the 12th stage, with a narrow margin over Cavendish; the order was reversed the following day. His three stage victories (in a Giro with few stages suitable for sprinters) also gave Bennati the points jersey.
However, Bennati paid a price for the points jersey: the long pull in cold weather over the Mortirolo Pass caused an inflammation of Bennati’s left Achilles tendon (the same leg as the knee injury).
He did not return to competition until August, at the Eneco Tour. There he was second to Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen
Tom Boonen is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won the 2005 World Road Race Championship. He is a member of the team, and is considered a single-day road race specialist with a strong finishing sprint...
in the second stage before winning the third stage and taking the leader's jersey for a day. He was dropped in the fourth stage, finishing in 88th place 22 seconds behind Boonen and losing the lead in the GC to Andre Greipel
Andre Greipel
André Greipel is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam .He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany...
. Bennati then dropped out of the Eneco Tour and proceeded to the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
in good form – where Filippo Pozzato was also a team leader. The Liquigas team won the first stage, a team time trial, with Pozzato crossing the line first and donning the leader’s jersey (Bennati was 4th). Bennati served as a domestique for Pozzato during the first stage, but when Pozzato did not retain the leader’s jersey he was able to ride for himself. He was 2nd (to Tom Boonen) the following day, and then won the fourth stage (beating Boonen), but dropped out after the 9th stage.
Bennati was not named to the Italian team for the World Championships, and his bad luck in Paris–Tours, the sprinters’ classic, continued; he finished 8th in a race marked by Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert
Philippe Gilbert is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team . Gilbert is a classics specialist...
’s inspiring victory.
However, Bennati won his final race of the year, the Giro del Piemonte
Giro del Piemonte
The Giro del Piemonte is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour...
; it was his second victory in this race, which he also won in 2006.
Bennati's combination of sprinting talent, good looks, and attractive smile have won him many fans, and his 2009 season is eagerly anticipated by the cycling cognoscenti. The growing rivalry between Cavendish and Bennati promises to enliven sprinting at the Grand Tours for many years to come.
Note: Most of this biography was loosely translated from the entry for Daniele Bennati on the French language version of Wikipedia. The section on the 2008 racing season was compiled from results and coverage at www.cyclingnews.com.
Palmarès
2002- 1st Stage 1b Tour of Austria
- 1st Stage 5 Regio-TourRegio-TourThe Regio-Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held between France, Switzerland and Germany. It was first held in 1985 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
2003
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de PologneTour de PologneThe Tour de Pologne is a road bicycle racing stage race. It consists of seven or eight stages and is usually around 1,200 km in length. The race was first held in 1928. Until 1952 the race was held sporadically, but since then it has been an annual race...
- 1st Stage 5 Tour MéditerranéenTour MéditerranéenTour Méditerranéen is a professional road bicycle racing event held in southern France along the Mediterranean Sea. The Tour Méditerranéen is a five-day stage race that began in 1974 and since 2005 has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event...
2005
- 1st Stage 2 Tour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 4 Tour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 3 Deutschland TourDeutschland TourThe Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...
- 1st Stage 5 Deutschland TourDeutschland TourThe Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...
- 1st Stage 9 Deutschland TourDeutschland TourThe Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...
- 1st
Points Classification
- 1st
- 1st Giro di ToscanaGiro di ToscanaThe Giro di Toscana is a road bicycle race held annually in Tuscany, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
- 2nd Paris–Tours
- 3rd Gent–Wevelgem
- 4th GP Ouest France-Plouay
2006
- 1st Stage 2 Tour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 4 Tour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 7 Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Stage 5 Vuelta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 1st Stage 4 Giro del TrentinoGiro del TrentinoThe Giro del Trentino is an Italian cycle road race. It is run typically mid-to-late April over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Italy....
- 1st Giro del PiemonteGiro del PiemonteThe Giro del Piemonte is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour...
- 1st Gran Premio Città di Misano – Adriatico
- 1st GP Industria & Commercio di Prato
- 1st Mercatone Uno-Memorial Pantani
- 1st Points classification Tour de Suisse
2007
- 1st Stage 17 Tour de France2007 Tour de FranceThe 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
- 1st Stage 20 Tour de France2007 Tour de FranceThe 2007 Tour de France, the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 July to 29 July 2007. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain...
- 1st Stage 1 Vuelta a España2007 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage...
- 1st Stage 17 Vuelta a España2007 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage...
- 1st Stage 21 Vuelta a España2007 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage...
- 1st
Points classification
- 1st
- 1st Stage 2 Tour MéditerranéenTour MéditerranéenTour Méditerranéen is a professional road bicycle racing event held in southern France along the Mediterranean Sea. The Tour Méditerranéen is a five-day stage race that began in 1974 and since 2005 has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event...
- 1st Stage 1 Volta a la Comunitat ValencianaVolta a la Comunitat ValencianaThe Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community , Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often used as preparation for the spring classics or the grand tours which take place later in the season.No editions of the race have been...
- 1st Stage 3 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 1st Stage 5 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
- 1st Stage 1 Three Days of De PanneThree Days of De PanneThe Three Days of De Panne is a mid-week, three-day stage race before the Ronde van Vlaanderen in De Panne in West Flanders, Belgium. It is rated 2.HC by the UCI and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :...
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
- 1st Points classification, Tour de Suisse2007 Tour de SuisseThe 2007 Tour de Suisse, the 71st edition of the cycle race, took place from June 16 until June 24. As usual, the race began with a short prologue and featured a long individual time trial. Besides, riders also had to face several mountain stages in the Swiss Alps, including the Grimselpass, a 12.1...
2008
- 1st Stage 3 Giro d'Italia2008 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team...
- 1st Stage 9 Giro d'Italia2008 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team...
- 1st Stage 12 Giro d'Italia2008 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team...
- 1st
Points classification
- 1st
- 1st Stage 1 (TTTTeam time trialA team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...
) Vuelta a España2008 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2008 Vuelta a España was the 63rd edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The event took place from 30 August to 21 September 2008 over 21 stages covering . The first stage was a team time trial in Granada. The event finished in Madrid 23 days later... - 1st Stage 4 Vuelta a España2008 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2008 Vuelta a España was the 63rd edition of the Vuelta a España, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The event took place from 30 August to 21 September 2008 over 21 stages covering . The first stage was a team time trial in Granada. The event finished in Madrid 23 days later...
- 1st Stage 5 Tour de Romandie
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
- 1st Stage 3 Eneco Tour
- 1st Giro del PiemonteGiro del PiemonteThe Giro del Piemonte is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour...
2009
- 1st Trofeo IncaVuelta a MallorcaThe Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca is a series of five professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in early February. The event is used as an early season preparatory event by many of the top teams in readiness for the bigger races later in the season...
- 1st Overall Giro di SardegnaGiro di SardegnaGiro di Sardegna is a stage road bicycle race held on the island of Sardinia, an Italian region. The race returned in 2009 after 11 years. It is now rated 2.1 and is part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
- 1st Stage 4
2010
- 1st Stage 2 Tour of Oman2010 Tour of OmanThe 2010 Tour of Oman was the first edition of the Tour of Oman cycling stage race. It was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Asia Tour, and held from 14 February to 19 February 2010, in Oman. The race was won by Fabian Cancellara of .-Teams:...
- 1st Stage 3 Tirreno–Adriatico2010 Tirreno–AdriaticoThe 2010 Tirreno–Adriatico was the 45th running of the Tirreno–Adriatico stage race. It started on 10 March and finished on 16 March. The race started in Livorno and ended San Benedetto del Tronto...
- 1st Giro di ToscanaGiro di ToscanaThe Giro di Toscana is a road bicycle race held annually in Tuscany, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
- 6th Vattenfall Cyclassics2010 Vattenfall CyclassicsThe 2010 Vattenfall Cyclassics was a one day road race, which is part of the 2010 UCI ProTour, it took place on 15 August 2010. The race covered a total of and took place in Hamburg, Germany.-Teams:...
2011
- 1st Stage 1 TTT Vuelta a España2011 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2011 Vuelta a España was held from 20 August to 11 September. The race began in Benidorm with a team time trial and ended, as is traditional, in Madrid. The 2011 Vuelta was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the Basque Country...
- 1st Stage 20 Vuelta a España2011 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2011 Vuelta a España was held from 20 August to 11 September. The race began in Benidorm with a team time trial and ended, as is traditional, in Madrid. The 2011 Vuelta was the 66th edition of the race and was the first Vuelta in 33 years that visited the Basque Country...
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de WallonieTour de WallonieThe Tour de Wallonie is a stage race cycling race on the UCI Europe Tour. It runs in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium in the end of July. Between 1974 and 1995 it was reserved to amateurs. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour- Winners...
- 1st Stage 8 Tour of Austria2011 Tour of AustriaThe 2011 Tour of Austria was the 63rd edition of the Tour of Austria, an annual bicycle race. Departing from Dornbirn on July 3, it concluded in Vienna on July 10. The 1136.9 km long stage race was part of the 2010–2011 UCI Europe Tour, and was rated as a 2.HC event...
- 1st Stage 1 Circuit de la SartheCircuit de la Sarthe (cycling)The Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire is an early-season short road bicycle racing stage race held annually in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....
- 1st Stage 3 ITT Circuit de la SartheCircuit de la Sarthe (cycling)The Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire is an early-season short road bicycle racing stage race held annually in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....
- 1st Stage 5 Circuit de la SartheCircuit de la Sarthe (cycling)The Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire is an early-season short road bicycle racing stage race held annually in Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....
- 1st Points classification
- 1st
- 2nd Gent–Wevelgem2011 Gent–WevelgemThe 2011 Gent–Wevelgem was the 73rd running of the Gent–Wevelgem cycling race, held on 27 March 2011. 's Tom Boonen won the race in a sprint finish ahead of rider Daniele Bennati and Tyler Farrar of .- Teams :...
- 3rd Overall Tour of Qatar2011 Tour of QatarThe 2011 Tour of Qatar was the tenth edition of the Tour of Qatar cycling stage race. It was rated as a 2.1 event on the UCI Asia Tour, and was held from 6 February to 11 February 2011, in Qatar. The previous race was won by Wouter Mol of .-Teams:...