Deceuninck-Quick-Step rider Sam Bennett will not be at the start of the World Cup in Flanders on Sunday. The Irish Cycling Federation announced this on Tuesday.

“I’m happy to be able to race pain-free again and I feel increasingly fitter and sharper,” Bennett said in a statement. “But at the moment a killer race of more than 260 kilometers is still a bit too ambitious.“

In recent months, Bennett’s relationship with Patrick Lefevere has soured, to the extent that the team manager has threatened legal action. Lefevere could therefore not laugh at the fact that Bennett was at the start of the European Championship road race, as a result of which he was unable to halve the Irishman’s wages. This is allowed if a rider is out of action for three months.

We know that Sam won’t be in the World Cup held in Flanders, but you can still bet on other racers at Meridianbet.