I met my idol at Volta ao Algarve… he took this photo
During the Volta ao Algarve, I met my idol. It wasn’t João Almeida, as I’ve had the privilege of talking to ‘Bota Lume’ a few times already. It wasn’t Jonas Vingegaard, as he was a man on a mission that week, and he accomplished it. It wasn’t even Primoz Roglic, to whom I showed a photo I took of him in the ‘Algarvia’ of 2016, which made him happy and consequently granted me a new photo. It was actually Daniel Benson.
Many fans don’t recognize this name. It can be lost in the constellation of cycling stars that race the Volta ao Algarve… but he himself could never be lost. In fact, when we agreed to talk face to face at the start of stage 3, he was the one who found me. He’s not a cycling star, but he’s one of the reasons we hear about them. And few can do it like him.
Daniel Benson is, therefore, one of the best cycling journalists in the world. In his prestigious career, he has served as editor for CyclingNews, VeloNews, and Global Cycling Network (GCN). Therefore, he covered many Tour de France, Olympic Games, and World Championships on the scene. Now, thanks to his “lovely subscribers,” he has a freelance project where he can write about whatever he wants, from wherever he wants. Advantage for cycling!
When I found out he was going to travel to Algarve, I knew I had to meet him. But beyond my personal disposition, this interview of Portuguese Cycling Magazine is an analysis, in the form of a conversation, about cycling and its means of communication. It just has the particularity of putting the interviewer in the interviewee’s place.
Vasco Serrano, for Portuguese Cycling Magazine: Daniel, we start with the reason why you are here in Portugal, which is Volta ao Algarve. Why do you like this race so much?
Daniel Benson: I’ve been coming to the Volta Algarve since 2018. Then I came back in 2022, then 2024, and this [2025] is my fourth one. I think it’s the best early season race. The weather is amazing, the organisation is always very good, and it is always a really good roster, even this year it’s incredible, probably the best one I’ve ever seen! It’s a good parcours, you always get a good mix of sprints and a time trial, with uphill finishes as well. The riders are still quite relaxed, so you get good access. And it’s a lovely country to be in at this time of year.
VS: However, the Volta was off to a rough start this year. And you have already witnessed road safety issues at Étoile des Bessèges. What can be done to overcome these issues?
DB: I think it has to be the priority for the entire sport. You see it not just at Bessèges or with the incident here, there are many finishes in cycling that are just sketchy. It’s one thing having the rules, but it’s another thing having the rules enforced. I think the record at Algarve is impeccable. I know, I’ve been here a few times and I have never seen any incidents like that before, so I think it was quite unfortunate. And I thought the race organizer, to be fair, handled the situation very well, in terms of their statements, what they said afterwards, in taking responsibility. On a wider front, yes, I think cycling has a lot to do in terms of rider safety in the coming years.
VS: You were born in Ireland, but you’re basically a citizen of the United Kingdom now.
DB: My parents are from Ireland, I was born there. Then I moved to the UK when I was a child and I’ve been there ever since.
VS: Where does your interest in cycling come from?
DB: TV. I watched the Tour de France in 1996 and was a big fan of Miguel Indurain, even though he was losing. I had a Portuguese teammate at the time, Orlando Rodrigues, was 2nd on the stage to Super Besse. I was a big fan of that team and that kit especially. From watching TV when I was a kid, I just loved the Tour.
VS: And where does your interest in journalism come from?
DB: I was terrible at racing and riding my bike (laugh). I quite liked English and journalism, so I thought ‘I’ll try that and then I can still write about something that I’m really passionate about’. I did work experience at a couple of magazines in the UK, when I was at school, and I instantly knew, when I was 16, that this is what I wanted to do. So I was lucky in that sense. And then again, I was lucky with a few opportunities, as I was growing up.
VS: Geraint Thomas, who is racing the Volta ao Algarve, recently announced his retirement from professional cycling. More broadly, what is the state of British Cycling?
DB: It’s a generational change they’re going through. I mean, we had the retirement of Cavendish last year, this is probably Froome’s last year, Geraint Thomas and Lizzie Deignan as well, it’s the end of an era in a big way. But then you’ve got really good up and coming talent- Oscar Onley, Max Poole, Callum Thornley, Pfeiffer Georgie… [he later referenced Cat Ferguson and Josh Tarling too]. I don’t think it’ll be a very long time before we see big stars of British Cycling on the world stage. I think the conundrum is: What is the team situation going forward? Because at the moment, Great Britain has INEOS and then it’s hard. But there are great teams like Fensham [Howes-MAS Design-CAMS], giving opportunities to a lot of British male riders coming through in the junior ranks. A dozen riders have gone to World Tour from there. So the grassroots are still strong, but there’s a lot of work to be done.
VS: But what if the new generation feels too much pressure to replace the old generation, which had Tour de France winners and Olympic medallists?
DB: That’s a good question. I don’t think anyone is saying to Cat Ferguson ‘will you be the next Lizzie Deignan?’ Or saying to Max Poole or Oscar Onley ‘are you going to be the next Bradley Wiggins?’. But if Great Britain produced a world class sprinter in the next few years, like Noah Hobbs, and he continues that trajectory, people would say ‘are you the next Cavendish?’ But I don’t think that, at the moment, I see undue pressure on that next generation.
VS: Going back to journalism, you have a prestigious career in the biggest cycling publications in the world. Your last project was GCN, and the closing of the streaming service was a big blow for cycling fans. What can you tell about this situation?
DB: Not much, really. To be perfectly honest with you, I was only there for a year and a bit. But I very much enjoyed my time at GCN and it was a very big shame when they decided to close the website.
VS: Currently, you have your own freelance project. How is it going?
DB: I love it. It’s growing all the time. I’m very passionate about it. I like providing exclusive content for readers and bringing them behind the scenes as much of what World Tour Cycling is like. We’re at about 4500 subscribers now. It’s a lot of work, but I’m really enjoying it.
VS: Finally, because you love writing ‘top 10’ articles, I would like to ask you for the top 10 moments of your career. [After some thought, Daniel Benson recalled one single moment that he remembers fondly]
DB: One thing that springs to mind was at the Tour de France in 2014. I was working with Philippa York [prestigious commentator and former rider], and she hadn’t seen Greg LeMond since the 1991 Tour de France. I got them together and we met on The Mall in London, next to Buckingham Palace, where the stage finished. For myself as a fan, it was incredible to see two great champions. That was a great moment.”
At this moment, when we looked to our right side, we saw Lidl-Trek being presented on stage. There was no time for further questions, as Daniel rushed to interview some riders and create more moments, not necessarily for himself, but for hundreds of cycling fans worldwide. Now that I have met my idol, to whom I thank for the availability, I can only work to follow his example.
Cover photo: Daniel Benson
