'You can’t describe it, it sucks': George Bennett abandons Tour de France with 'serious case of man flu'
LottoNL-Jumbo's George Bennett says that he will look at to race the Vuelta a España after man flu caused him to abandon the Tour de France
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)
- Sign up to our newsletter Newsletter

LottoNL-Jumbo’s George Bennett says he is “devastated” that he has been forced to abandon the Tour de France with a “serious case of man flu”.
The New Zealand-born rider was sitting in 12th position at the beginning of stage 16, over six minutes minutes off leader Chris Froome (Team Sky).
He started to get ill on Sunday’s stage to Le Puy-en-Velay, and his condition worsened during yesterday’s rest day, when he was unable to eat solid food. He started today’s stage but unpinned his numbers early on.
“I’m devastated to leave,” the 27-year-old said. “I dedicated everything to this race. I spent however many months of my life sitting at the top of the mountain and I’m going home.
>>> Dan Martin’s hopes of winning Tour de France ‘probably over’ after losing time in crosswinds
“It wasn’t a nice moment. Sitting on the side of the road, you don’t roll into Paris with the planes flying over your head, you get in a team car and get on a plane home to Girona.
“One of the worst things you can do as a bike racer is to leave a bike race, and the Tour de France… you can’t describe it, it sucks.
“That’s part of the job and I knew that when I came here. You have crazy highs and crazy lows. You just have to keep your feet on the ground and put it into perspective. I’ve still had an amazing few weeks here.”
Watch: Tour de France stage 16 highlights
Bennett hoped that he would be able to ride to the finish of stage 16 in Romans-sur-Isère without losing any time to his general classification rivals, but he quickly realised that wouldn’t be possible.
"At kilometre 0.1, when it was straight out of the blocks, I already knew I was in trouble,” he said. “I hoped for a miracle that it would be a day I could get through and survive for the mountains.
“We said I should ride as long as I could, but in the end you start doing serious damage and it’s really dangerous to race when you have a fever.
>>> Michael Matthews unhappy after being ‘grabbed’ by John Degenkolb in post-race spat (video)
“On Sunday I noticed I had a fever on the stage. I really struggled and had to drag myself over the hills.
“On the rest day I woke up thinking I was OK, but in the afternoon, I couldn’t even eat dinner so they made me a milkshake.
“I’m sorry to everyone who has backed me, but that’s bike racing. There’s plenty more of them and you have got to remind yourself it’s just a bike race.”
Bennett now hopes to ride San Sebastian at the of the month, before possibly targeting another top-10 in the Vuelta a España, where his best result was tenth on GC in 2016.
“I hope I can be back for San Sebastian,” he confirmed. “The Vuelta is definitely on the radar now, so I’ll see if I can recover from this one first. But I still have a serious case of man flu.”
Thank you for reading 10 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
*Read 5 free articles per month without a subscription
Join now for unlimited access
Try first month for just £1 / $1 / €1
Chris first started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2013 on work experience and has since become a regular name in the magazine and on the website. Reporting from races, long interviews with riders from the peloton and riding features drive his love of writing about all things two wheels.
Probably a bit too obsessed with mountains, he was previously found playing and guiding in the Canadian Rockies, and now mostly lives in the Val d’Aran in the Spanish Pyrenees where he’s a ski instructor in the winter and cycling guide in the summer. He almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.
-
-
Bikes of the Atlas Mountain Race 2023: from comfort gravellers to speed weapons, here’s what caught our eye
Covering 1,300km / 800mi of Morocco’s gravel roads and mountain passes, the Atlas Mountain Race demands a tech-heavy approach for its 3+ days of bikepacking racing
By Stefan Abram • Published
-
British champion Cameron Mason hoping for rain at Cyclo-cross World Championships
British national champion says patience will be the key in what’s expected to be a fast race in Hoogerheide, the Netherlands
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Jumbo-Visma DS: There are some big talents coming out of Britain
The WorldTour team sees great potential in the current crop of British riders
By Tom Davidson • Published
-
From Grand Tour victories to gold medals: The nine best signings of 2022
We look back at the signings that made the biggest impacts during this year's season
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'I remember the crowds more than anything': Tom Pidcock recalls his Alpe d'Huez Tour de France stage win
Our male rider of the year, Tom Pidcock, talks us through the highs and lows of his 2022 campaign
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
Watch: Jumbo-Visma 2023 team launch
Stream the Dutch super team's presentation
By Adam Becket • Published
-
Wout van Aert moots building gravel world championships into 2023 programme
Belgian rider says gravel racing has a ‘great future’ as he considers worlds participation next year
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
As Cristiano Ronaldo puts the boot in, Jumbo-Visma talk to Manchester United about tactics and managing egos
The Dutch team’s senior sports director has spoken to Manchester United’s manager for sporting advice
By Owen Rogers • Last updated
-
Primož Roglič says rehabilitation from shoulder surgery ‘going as planned’ ahead of 2023 season
Slovenian had surgery in October in attempt to fix repeated shoulder dislocations ahead of new season
By Tom Thewlis • Published
-
'I didn’t have the legs': Primož Roglič looks fallible at the Vuelta a España
The defending champion went from being the virtual leader to trailing his rivals on stage six
By Adam Becket • Published