George Bennett not considering retirement yet: "Thought of office job is the scariest thing"
George Bennett had a difficult season last year: the New Zealander from NSN lost his mother to a brain tumor. 2025 was also challenging on the sporting front, but Bennett is not planning to hang up his bike just yet, he told Cyclingnews.
"Last year was tough, both on and off the bike. Even though you never fully come to terms with something like that, around this time last year I was in a much worse place. It's nice to now be able to just focus on cycling with the whole year ahead of me," Bennett said, reflecting on his previous season and the start of 2026.
"Last year it was still uncertain whether I would even go to Europe, but now I have a great program and am getting good opportunities, so I’m much more optimistic," said Bennett, who claimed the New Zealand road title this year.
Bennett is not considering a social role just yet either. "I’m more motivated than before. I now appreciate more what a privilege it is to be a pro cyclist. I know the years are limited. Maybe I have three left, so you start thinking, ‘Maybe I should just enjoy this.’ I don’t really think about it too much and just try to focus on the process. The idea of working in an office is the scariest thing there is," said the 35-year-old climber.
