NEWS: Tipperary cyclist Sam Bennett reveals struggles with heart condition

Cyclist Sam Bennett has revealed he has undergone surgery to address a heart condition and has relocated to Cork as he continues his recovery.

The Tipperary rider, who won the green jersey at the 2020 Tour de France, where he took two stage wins, told RTÉ he had been suffering from heart flutters and palpitations, which were affecting his performances.

Having signed for the Q36.5 team last October, Bennett first noticed heart issues a month later in November, though he suspects the problem had been present for some time.

"It was kind of strange because at the end of the season, I wasn't feeling well," the 35-year-old told RTÉ Radio 1's Inside Sport.

"I couldn't get out of the performances and couldn't understand them. I had the off-season, came back, and then I was having these flutters, palpitations in training.

"I was away with my previous team in London, and at night I had flutters and palpitations; I didn't know what was going on."
He added, "It's not a given, but it's possible that I was having many episodes going into sprints because I always felt something in the sprints, and I couldn't push.

"I would go into a sprint, and then I'd be fine, and I'd go to get off the saddle, and I wouldn't be full of lactate, but I'd have to sit back down, and it was just super strange."

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This time, a smart watch alerted him to an issue.

"I remember that I was wearing a Whoop, and I was able to check my ECG (electrocardiogram), and it showed me that I had AFib, atrial fibrillation.

Just four or five days after the smart watch alert, he underwent an ablation—a surgery to treat irregular heartbeats—which was a success.

Bennett is recovering and has moved back to Cork with his family, aiming to return to competition in March.

"I have an amazing team with amazing support and everything in place. If I can't do it here, I can't do it anywhere.

"The team wants to see how I progress. If I progress quicker, brilliant. If it's slower, then it's whatever time I need. I want to make the target the middle to the end of March, just so that I'm not too relaxed and I have something to chase. If you have too much time, you'll never get on it.

"I moved back home to Ireland, now based in Cork. My idea was, well, first of all, I think my family outgrew apartment living, and I wanted to give my son a garden and start school in our own culture. I think that was important, but on the sporting side, I just thought I couldn't continue doing the same thing, expecting a different result. So I said, 'let's move home'."

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In a wide-ranging interview, Bennett emphasized that his condition is common and highlighted the likelihood of complete recovery if treatment is sought, aiming to raise awareness among the public and fellow athletes.

"A lot of people are having AFib and ablations, and for younger cyclists or people in general public... there's a fear of the unknown when it happens, but I wanted to share it just so that they can understand it.

"They might understand what's happening with their body, and they don't have to be afraid. Once you go after it and treat it, you can recover fully and get back to like, as an athlete, to a top level again. And for a normal person, you can have a long, normal life.

"If possible, people should use smartwatches like Garmin or other devices with ECG to catch issues as they occur. Often, symptoms are unclear and hard to describe to specialists.

"ECGs might not be the most accurate, but they're sufficient for specialists to identify issues and proceed.
"It's quite a common thing, but it can really be treated."

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