After a dream debut pro season with NetApp-Endura, Irishman Sam Bennett is looking to step up another level and win more races for Bora-Argon 18 this season.

“I just want to make another step and having a season under my belt makes me that much stronger,” he told Cyclingnews at his team’s recent training camp in Mallorca. “As a sprinter, you’re always trying to get the results, whether you’re feeling bad or good. I’d like to do that and try to get more consistency and then the results will come. The more times you put yourself into the right position, the more opportunities you get.”

One big goal for the 24 year old is the Tour de France, after making the team’s long list in 2014. It would be his debut Grand tour as a pro rider.

“I’d love to make it to the start and see how I match up against the big names. In a sprint you never know how it will turn out, sometimes you’re just in the right place at the right time and it just happens for you. I’d love to give it a shot and see how it goes.”

Bora-Argon 1 has built the team around Bennett and new signing Dominik Nerz from BMC after losing climbers Leopold Konig, Tiago Machado and David de la Cruz. He says he doesn’t feel extra pressure though with the bigger onus on his wins this year.

“If they weren’t putting pressure on me then I would be thinking that they didn’t have any confidence in me, so I think it’s a good thing.”

Next week he heads to the Tour of Qatar, where he made his pro debut in 2014, and is looking for a repeat of 2014’s success, where he took some top ten finishes. But there is a world-class field there and he knows results will be hard to take.

“There are some big names there and they’re also trying to get results there and they’re looking at the races afterwards so they’ll be absolutely flying. It makes it that bit harder,” said Bennett, who also raced in Qatar with the An Post-Sean Kelly team in 2011. “It’s a race that’s all about position. You can be unlucky on days as well and it can be very hard. I hope that the race goes well and that I can pull off a result. I’d love to get a podium there, that would be fantastic.”

Despite the big names leaving the team in the offseason, Bennett says the team is good and is moving in the right direction, and his sprint train should be good enough to help him win his fair share of races.