Sam Bennett returns to Bora-Hansgrohe this season after two years with Quick Step Alphavinir. Despite a breakdown in his relationship with Belgian team boss Patrick Lefebvre last summer, the Irish-born Bennett said his time with the team was "amazing."

The 31-year-old Bennett entered Wednesday's Bourges des Pins classic in new colors and a new lead-out train, hoping to defend his title at the 2022 Belgian classic. The victory was one of the most rewarding of his career, as last year he won 14 races on Quick Step.

"It was definitely a good year," Bennett told Het Nieuwsblad (opens in new tab), deciding not to answer questions about his bitter divorce from Lefevere and the team.

"But it wasn't as good as it could have been. I benefited from the 'quick step effect'. The team was very strong and when I won the green jersey, they pulled me through the Tour de France."

"My years with Quick-Step have been great. I was able to ride well in the sprints, but I didn't have as much engine as I used to. Now I want to get that back."

Bennett, a two-time UAE Tour podium finisher, said his power output of 1,200 watts (200-300 watts short of the maximum output of a World Tour sprinter) held him back in the World Tour opener.

He said the new leadouts of Ryan Mullen, Danny van Poppel, and Shane Archibald contributed to his early season sprint finishes.

He said, "I hit it off with them right away on the UAE Tour. Four out of four times they dropped me in the sprints; I finished second and third in the 1,200 watt sprints."

"That says it all about the quality of the leadout. I know those athletes well, so it's no surprise. The team also took a good look at their data when I moved in to determine if they could handle the lead-out role.

"In my last year at Beulah Hansgrohe, I felt very strong. Now I want to go back there," he added.

One of Bennett's main goals for the 2022 season will be to return to the Tour de France, in addition to the green jersey and two stage wins he won in 2020. Bennett's rivals are numerous, including all-around star Wout Van Aert of Jumbo-Visma.

Bennett has openly praised Van Aert, who has already won the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and time trial and the Paris-Nice green jersey, and said he is studying the Tour route to find places to score points against the versatile Belgian to find places to score points against the versatile Belgian.

"Wout is fantastic. His riding is unreal," Bennett said.

"That doesn't mean I won't try to beat him in the Tour. Sometimes I wonder what I should do. In Paris-Nice, all the sprints were on climbs.

"I still have to study the routes where I can and can't get points on the wouts. But I'm ready for the challenge. I think I have a good chance to win the green jersey again. It's an advantage because I haven't raced in months: I'm mentally fresh."

After being lambasted in the media by Lefevere in the middle of last season and suffering from a knee injury, Bennett has been away from racing for the past four months, but Bennett's desire to race has not waned.

"I've become a father and I have a great family. I still found my life evolving in a positive way." During the months I didn't ride my bike, I fell in love with the sport again. I didn't completely lose this feeling, but it had become like a job. Sometimes it's only in the moments when it's gone that you fully understand something."

"During the months I was without my bike, it was what I missed the most. It felt great to be a father, but I missed the adrenaline rush of going down at 120 km/h in lycra."

"Paris to Nice was chaos. But I loved it. I look forward to more chaos like De Panne."