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Simone Giuliani

'The thought of going to work in an office is the scariest thing in the world' – After a brutal year on and off the bike, George Bennett is more motivated than ever

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 20: George Bennett of New Zealand and NSN Cycling Team competes during the 26th Santos Tour Down Under 2026 - Prologue a 3.6km individual time trial stage from Adelaide to Adelaide / #UCIWT / on January 20, 2026 in Adelaide, Australia. (Photo by Con Chronis/Getty Images).

Last year, when he lined up to start the season in Australia, George Bennett was all too aware that uncertainty and challenges lay ahead, and while the path on the road certainly didn't end up being easy, it was nothing compared to the one he faced off it.

2025 may have been a contract year, and in such an intensely competitive market, riders are often driven to be hyper-focused on proving their worth to secure a continuation of their career. But there were far more pressing concerns that left him bolting from Liège-Bastogne-Liège to return home to New Zealand, where he faced a deep personal loss, his mother's death from brain cancer.

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