George Bennett (cyclist)

In October 2014, it was announced that he would join LottoNL–Jumbo for the 2015 season.[13] In May 2015, he was barred from starting the Giro d'Italia due to low cortisol levels (later discovered to have been caused by illness), as per Mouvement pour un cyclisme crédible (MPCC) rules. He was not replaced by his team.[14] He was named in the start list for the 2016 Tour de France[15] and finished in 53rd place.[16] His most impressive performance in the Tour de France was finishing seventh on stage nine at Andorre Arcalis, judged by some as the toughest stage that year.[8]

He competed in the Men's individual road race at the 2016 Summer Olympics and came 33rd; he described the race as "absolutely" the toughest in his career, and 79 riders did not finish.[17]

In 2017, he became the first New Zealander to win the general classification at a UCI World Tour cycling event, when he won the Tour of California.[18] Bennett also entered the Tour de France, and finished 7th on Stage 9, but retired midway through stage 16 when he came down with gastroenteritis.[19] He would return to Girona to recover.

In November 2019, Bennett underwent surgery to remove three ribs due to experiencing chronic slipping rib syndrome.[20]

Bennett started his 2020 season at the Tour Down Under where he placed 8th overall.[21] In February at the National Championships, Bennett finished second in the road race after spending 80 kilometres (50 miles) out in front by himself only for Shane Archbold to catch and sprint past him on the line.[22] When the season resumed after the interruption by the COVID-19 pandemic, he managed to get 5th overall in both the Vuelta a Burgos and the Tour de l'Ain. Bennett's form continued through to Gran Piemonte where he attained his first ever one-day win.[23] Three days later at Il Lombardia, he got the highest ever result by a New Zealander in a Cycling monument by placing second behind Jakob Fuglsang.[24] He participated in the Tour de France, where he wore Māori-themed Shimano S-Phyre shoes painted by his artist girlfriend, Caitlin Fielder.[25]