Just over twelve months ago, Sam Bennett had the world at his feet.
With Tour de France green jersey success and a Champs Elysees finale victory to rubber stamp it, the Carrick-on-Suir rider was for many the best sprinter in the world.
Flying high in the colours of Deceuninck-Quickstep into 2021, it all went to plan heading towards a green jersey defence.
But as sport goes, everything from injuries, contract politics and outside speculation derailed a promising season as Bennett slipped into the background while the rest made the headlines.
Now, after re-joining former team Bora-Hansgrohe, Bennett is targeting a return to action and ultimately success in a year of redemption.
After two stage wins, some thrilling duels with sprint superstar Caleb Ewan and green jersey rival Peter Sagan on the way to Paris in the Tour, Bennett was a force to be reckoned with.
And with the might of Quickstep, widely renowned as having the best lead-out train in the business for their elected sprinter, it didn't stop there in the 2021 season.
Bennett made a statement with two wins among a talented field at the UAE Tour in February, and added another two wins at Paris-Nice - a favoured early season race of fellow Carrick-on-Suir native Sean Kelly.
As the spring classics dawned, Bennett could blame an earlier puncture for missing the decisive moves at monument race Milano-Sanremo before sweeping up Belgian classic Brugge-De Panne to bounce back.
The Tour de France beckoned as his program shifted towards preparations for the Grand Tour and points classification defence.
He took home two stage victories and the points classification from the Volta ao Algarve, but that would ultimately be his final meaningful contribution to the 2021 cycling season.
Bennett suffered a knee injury in training, which although initially thought to be a setback, saw him ruled out of the Belgium Tour in June - which was to be used as preparation for the Tour.
But it's what went down in the aftermath that made the headlines over the course of the summer as Quickstep team manager Patrick Lefevere publicly doubted the legitimacy of Bennett's injury, and criticised his mentality.
With Bennett in the last year of his contract with the team and likely to depart in the coming months, the relationship between rider and management took a turn.
And it was further compounded as his late Tour de France replacement, a rejuvenated Mark Cavendish, cleaned up to take home four stage wins and the green jersey.
Bennett did ride again in Deceuninck-Quickstep colours in Autumn, but failed to make any notable impact in Belgian races as well as national and European Championships as he merely clocked up some much-needed mileage after a long lay-off.
In early August, it was announced that Bennett would re-join former team Bora-Hansgrohe in the new year - which certainly raised plenty of eyebrows.
Bennett left the German team at the end of 2019 after frustration with playing second fiddle to superstar Peter Sagan as well as German sprinter Pascal Ackermann on some occasions.
But with an ageing Sagan as well as Ackermann moving on from the team this year, a fresh start at Bora-Hansgrohe was on the cards for Bennett.
The 31-year-old will be the team's undisputed leader when it comes to sprint finishes this season, and is lined-up for the Tour de France once again.
With the full backing of Bora-Hangrohe and a clean bill of health in 2022, Bennett is on a redemption mission.
He'll kick off his season in just over two weeks time at the Saudi Tour before planned returns to the UAE Tour and Paris-Nice before the Sping classics take hold.
And if Bennett has re-found any of the magic of 2020 over the winter and January training camps, it could all come together for him.
If he is to compete, another punt at monument success at the sprinter-friendly Milano-Sanremo could be on the cards, a statement performance could set the tone for the year ahead.
He will have plenty of rivals in a green jersey fight in the summer however, with Belgian powerhouse Wout Van Aert looking all the more likely to be given the green light to pursue the famous jersey, Bennett will have his work cut out.
But fit and in-form, Bennett will be hoping to mix it with Van Aert, 2020 rival Ewan and the rest on finishing lines across the season.
After a disruptive second-half of 2021, Sam Bennett is hoping to get back doing what he does best - win races.
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