With several good results and wins early in his career, Javier Benitez looked set to continue stepping things up as a pro. He went as far as the Vuelta a España in 2009, but then things declined. He was without a professional team in 2010 and he was employed by Greece-registered team KTM - Murcia in 2011. However, the team ceased to exist in its form and most riders were let go in May. Benitez has been teamless since but hopes to make it back into professional cycling. He has 22 victories as a professional.
Benitez is having a hard time with the current situation that he finds himself in. "Bad," he describes to sprintespecial.blogspot.com how he is feeling at the moment. "I am a cyclist who is very passionate about the sport and it really takes a lot out of me to have to endure this situation."
Without the surrounding support the situation would become unbearable for Benitez. "Without a doubt, the support from longtime friends is on my side and has been fundamental." His family, his girlfriend, his riding buddies are there for him as well as a special group of people. "My friends Jesus Hernández, Angel Buenache and Fran Ventoso [and the others] were there so I didn't sink even further. I am grateful to them from my heart."
He started riding with the KTM team from the beginning of the year, but is critical about the six-month period that he was active for them. "The balance is not good at all," Benitez says. He does not blame the riders for that. "Between us teammates we had a good atmosphere. Personally, I did some races in good form in Portugal, Ireland and England, but in the situation that we were in, it was really difficult to race at 100 percent."
With the team's future on the line, there was no certainty going into the races. "This was by far my worst season as a professional. It is my sixth year as a professional, but it was impossible to do a race under normal circumstances." If the surrounding climate conveys hectic and a bad situation, Benitez suffers as well. "I am a person who needs a good atmosphere to do the guaranteed races and this year this was just impossible."
He currently has bike store job to keep financially afloat. "I work at Bicicletas Sanchis and at the same time I train, because if someone calls me I need to be in shape so I don't disappoint anybody," the Spaniard explains.
He emphasizes that he wants to continue as a professional. "I always have that idea in my head, although I know it will be very difficult. But I always say that I will be here well prepared, hoping for that opportunity."
Mentally, the summer and fall has been bad, with his last race for the team in May, at the An Post Ras, and a few races in up until July. "I stayed dedicated to training like I would if I were still racing. Many days I went out with [Adrian] Palomares and [David] Bernabéu [both from Andalucia - Caja Granada] because they were preparing for the Vuelta and I trained for the Vuelta a Mexico, scheduled for year's end. It was postponed but I prepared to go to that country that has given me so much."
Benitez is a multiple stage winner at the Mexican Vuelta a Chihuahua. He has taken six stage wins in the two editions that he raced in that week-long event.
Benitez agrees that being unemployed as a rider with a perspective shows the difficult situation that cycling is in. "I have 22 wins as a professional and a lot of podium placings in my palmarès, so it is very sad to stay at home without racing."
The message that he is sending to the teams is short but firm. "If you want a rider who doesn't see cycling just as work but as a passion, a professional who likes to prepare every race to the maximum and who is very competitive, then please call me as I won't disappoint you and I still have hope."
Benitez was third in a stage at the Circuito Montañes as an amateur. He turned professional with Relax - Fuenlabrada in 2005, showing potential with several top ten stage finishes. In 2006 he switched to Grupo Nicolas Mateos and won six times: Stages in the Vuelta a Extremadura, the GP CTT Correios de Portugal, and the GP Torres Vedras - Trofeu Joaquim Agostinho.
He went to Benfica for two years and obtained ten wins. He also came close to a stage win in the Tour of Bavaria (second and third) and the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey (second on two stages). His move in 2009 to the Contentpolis - Ampo team sealed him a spot in the Vuelta a España, but his three stage victories at the Vuelta a Chihuahua was all he could win.
He raced as a professional without contract in 2010 before his ill-fated jump to KTM in 2011.