George Bennett (Jumbo-Visma) has started the past three seasons on the Tour Down Under, but with the cancellation of the Australian World Tour race this year, the 30-year-old Bennett will start his campaign with a gravel and tar race in his native New Zealand The race was cancelled this year, giving the 30-year-old Bennett the rare opportunity to start his campaign in his native New Zealand gravel and tar race. The Jumbo-Visma climber has his sights set on the Tokyo Olympics later this season and has spent the last few weeks training in his native country after returning to New Zealand for the 2020 road season. This weekend, he will be competing in a 160km gravel tar race as part of the national team. Although not normally a gravel racer, he is most looking forward to participating in the 1.2 UCI registered event. He said, "In December, the national team put out a call for applicants for the New Zealand Cycle Classic, but I didn't want to participate in a stage race this early in the season, and I also had a friend's wedding to attend.

For Bennett, a Grand Tour specialist, the gravel-and-tar event provides a welcome environment of home-based competition mixed with some of the elements that first attracted him to cycling. He will be racing on a Cervelo team bike, and while he may make some tweaks to his setup before the event, he is looking forward to the overall experience.

"Traveling with my friends and cleaning my bike, it's like I'm back to the magic of cycling, just like before I turned pro. Of course, I still love cycling, but traveling with my buddies, getting ready in the back of the car, and just getting out and riding. It's a great opportunity, but it's also a great chance to support racing in New Zealand. There are so many talented young riders in New Zealand, but they are not well known yet.

Bennett readily admits that he is not fully prepared for what awaits him at this race, but having enjoyed the dirt roads of Strade Bianche in the past, he is excited about the chance to mix up his race calendar for the first time in a while.

"I'd say it's about 50 percent gravel roads, but I still need to do my homework.

"I didn't know how much gravel there was before I signed on. I've heard rumors that there are a lot of them. I train on gravel a lot and I have a gravel bike. There aren't many roads here, so I have to ride on gravel roads. I've only raced Strade Bianche once, and that year it was very muddy, but it was a lot of fun and I loved it. It might be another story to have a World Tour team, a mechanic with a spare wheel, and a send off. This weekend is going to be a little more hectic, but my first priority is to be safe and then to have fun and enjoy myself. I'm not ready to race yet, but I'm still going to try and I see this as a good opportunity."

Bennett will return to Europe in a few weeks for his first road race of the season, Paris-Nice. Jumbo Visma has yet to announce his Grand Tour ambitions for the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France. Last year, Bennett was scheduled to lead the team in the Giro, but was eventually called up to the Tour de France. With the Olympics the centerpiece of this season, he is likely to target the Giro again. Jumbo Visma's official plans will be revealed later this week.