Daniele Bennati facts for kids

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Daniele Bennati

Bennati at the 2015 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Daniele Bennati
Nickname	Benna
Born	(1980-09-24) 24 September 1980 (age 44) Arezzo, Italy
Height	1.84 m (6 ft +1⁄2 in)
Weight	73 kg (161 lb; 11 st 7 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 2 individual stages (2007) Giro d'Italia Points classification (2008) 3 individual stages (2008) Vuelta a España Points classification (2007) 6 individual stages (2007, 2008, 2011, 2012) 2 TTT (2008, 2011) One-day races and Classics Giro del Piemonte (2006, 2008)

Daniele Bennati (born September 24, 1980) is a retired Italian road racing cyclist. He was a professional rider from 2002 to 2019. Daniele was known for his amazing speed in sprint finishes.

He rode for several teams during his career, including Lampre and Liquigas. Bennati won 11 stages in the biggest cycling races, called Grand Tours. These include two stages in the Tour de France, three in the Giro d'Italia, and six in the Vuelta a España. He also won the "points jersey" in the 2007 Vuelta a España and the 2008 Giro d'Italia. This jersey is given to the rider who earns the most points in sprints.

Daniele Bennati stopped racing at the end of the 2019 season because of ongoing back pain.

Daniele Bennati's Cycling Journey

Starting Out in Cycling

Daniele Bennati was born in Arezzo, Tuscany, Italy. Cycling was a big part of his family. His father was a good amateur cyclist, and his brother also raced when he was younger. Daniele started racing at just 9 years old and won his very first race! As a young amateur, he raced for the Grassi Mapei team. He even won a stage in a race called the Giro delle Regioni.

Learning from a Legend: 2002–2003

At 21, Daniele became a professional cyclist. He joined the team of a very famous Italian sprinter, Mario Cipollini. Daniele quickly showed he could sprint well too. In 2002, he finished second in a stage of the Settimana internazionale di Coppi e Bartali. He got his first professional win in June at the Tour of Austria. Two months later, he won another race at the Regio-Tour.

Daniele was a key part of Cipollini's "leadout train." This is when teammates ride in front of the main sprinter to protect them from the wind and help them get to the front for the final sprint. When Cipollini left the Vuelta a España, Daniele got a chance to sprint for himself. He finished 5th in a Grand Tour sprint stage.

In 2003, Daniele stayed with the same team, which changed its name. He continued to support Cipollini in important races. In the Grand Tours, when Cipollini would leave the race in the mountains, Daniele had his chance to shine. He finished second in a stage of the Giro d'Italia. He also won stages in the Tour Méditerranéen and the Tour of Poland that year.

A Tough Year: 2004

In 2004, Daniele joined the Phonak team. However, this year was difficult for him. He got a virus that made him stop racing for several months. Because of this, he didn't win any races that season. In 2005, he joined the Lampre team, which was a bigger team ready to compete in major races.

Becoming a Top Sprinter: 2005–2007

2005: Breaking Through

At Lampre, Daniele changed from a helper rider (called a domestique) to a top sprinter. He started getting great results. He finished 3rd in the Gent–Wevelgem race. A few weeks later, he won the Giro di Toscana. He didn't race in the Giro d'Italia or the Tour de France that year.

In August, he won three stages and the points jersey in the Tour of Germany. He also had good finishes in other important races. In September, he won two more stages in the Tour of Poland. Because of these wins, he was chosen to be on the Italian national team for the World Championships. By the end of 2005, Daniele was a cyclist to watch!

2006: More Victories

In 2006, Daniele continued his success. He won races like the Volta a la Communitat Valenciana and the Giro del Trentino. He also won two stages and wore the leader's jersey for two days in the Tour of Poland.

July brought Daniele to his first Tour de France. He finished in the top ten in eight stages, even getting a 2nd place. Sadly, he had to leave the race after a fall during stage 16. Even with the fall, he ended the season with 9 victories, including the Giro del Piemonte.

2007: Grand Tour Success

Daniele started the 2007 season strong with two wins in February. He won a stage and the points jersey in the Tour Méditerranéean. He then won three stages and the points jersey in the Volta a la Communidat Valenciana. He also won a stage in the Dreidaagse De Panne.

In July, Daniele rode in the Tour de France for the second time. He was aiming to win a stage and compete for the points jersey. After some tough stages and a fall, he recovered and won two stages! One of these was the famous final stage on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

In September, Daniele raced in his second Grand Tour of the season, the 2007 Vuelta a España. He won the first stage and wore the leader's jersey for a day. He then won two more stages in the final week and took home the points jersey on the very last day of the race. This was his tenth win of 2007! Unfortunately, he found out he had a broken wrist, which ended his season early. During the Vuelta, Daniele signed a new contract to join the Liquigas team.

New Team, More Wins: 2008–2010

2008: Giro d'Italia Champion

Bennati at the 2008 Philadelphia International Championship.

Moving to Liquigas brought some challenges, as the team had another star sprinter. However, Daniele's season started with a knee injury, keeping him out until April. He slowly got back into form, winning the final stage and the points classification in the Tour de Romandie.

The 2008 Giro d'Italia was a huge success for Daniele. He won three stages and also won the points jersey, which is a big achievement! However, the tough race caused an injury to his Achilles tendon.

He returned to racing in August at the Eneco Tour, winning a stage there. He then went to the Vuelta a España. His team won the first stage, a team time trial. Daniele then won the fourth stage. He finished his year with another victory at the Giro del Piemonte, which he had also won in 2006.

Later Career: 2011–2016

In 2012, Daniele won his first race of the season in stage 18 of the Vuelta a España. He dedicated this win to a fellow cyclist who had passed away and to his grandfather. After 2012, Daniele joined the Saxo–Tinkoff team.

On the Saxo–Tinkoff team, Daniele was part of the 2013 Tour de France squad. His main job was to help his teammate, Alberto Contador, try to win the overall race, rather than winning stages himself. He continued to race until his retirement in 2019.

Major Results

Grand Tour Race Results

This table shows Daniele Bennati's results in the three biggest cycling races: the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España.

Grand Tour	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Giro d'Italia	—	DNF	DNF	—	—	—	70	—	—	—	DNF	DNF	—	—	—	DNF	—
Tour de France	—	—	—	—	DNF	74	—	132	—	—	—	107	96	DNF	—	104	104
Vuelta a España	DNF	—	—	—	—	63	DNF	84	83	111	144	—	108	131	107	—	133

Classic Race Results

This table shows Daniele Bennati's results in important one-day "Classic" races.

See also

In Spanish: Daniele Bennati para niños