Photo courtesy of Mediatheque ASA France

It was a very long road for Sam to get to this point of his career in cycling, as a teenager he had to do without the normal things his age group does, no parties, no chasing girls, no drinking…instead early nights in bed, training miles on end, racing in the weekends and travelling all corners of the land to learn his skills! His motivation was his dream…Becoming a pro cyclist like his role model Sean Kelly, winning the Green Jersey in the TDF. He done it in style… involved in intermediate sprints, at sprinters stages coming up trumps twice, with the last stage at the CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES in Paris as the ultimate win, and all this wearing the green jersey. To even make it more sweeter Sam done it as current Irish Champion…The Mountain stages being very hard on him, days on end suffering and pain, but he survived them!! His goal was Paris, his team making sure he got there and Sam repaying them in full. I watched TDF’s for more than a half century since I was a young nipper, a few are burned in my mind but the 2020 edition is the sweetest I witnessed as I feel a bit Irish too…So well done Sam and Team Deceuninck-QuickstepMaith thú Sam

Photo courtesy of Mediatheque ASA France