Making the move to the Development program in 2024, Ben (or Benjamin as his mother likes to call him) comes into the team as one of the older riders in the program, having already spent two seasons in the U23 ranks.
Showing his ability to read races well and a good tactical brain, Peatfield took some impressive results in 2022 and likewise at the start of 2023, but injury and illness hampered the rest of his campaign, so he’s excited for fresh impetus and a clean slate with the team.
“I had some real bad luck in recent times, so I felt like I just needed a new start and Team dsm-firmenich PostNL was the perfect place for that; it’s nothing against my former team.”
Coming from an active family, Ben’s parents always cycled and although they didn’t race at a professional level his dad took part in local and national TTs. His older brothers were into the sport though and a young Ben always pondered where they were going and the age of six his parents eventually took him to his first race. From there, he did a bit of everything on two wheels with track, road, cyclocross and some mountain bike too. He didn’t neglect other sports too and was in his school’s football team, where he played in defence, until around the age of 15 when everyone “progressed too much” for him.
“I think I’m happiest when I’m on my bike, or even doing sports in general, just being active. I’m someone that feels like they must do something or otherwise I get in a bad mood; so, I like to even just go out for walks and enjoy the fresh air – it’s good for the head.”
Moving across to France at the young age of 16 to ride then for AG2R Juniors, Ben will find a familiar face in the team as that year he was on the same roster as Oscar [Onley]. Now calling France his second home, he stays there on a full-time basis and speaks the language fluently; and it’s something which backs up Ben’s character as he says he enjoys learning new things but also that he wanted to fit in with all his French teammates too and get to know them.
It’s no surprise then that he describes himself as a “determined” individual and always finds a way to persevere through things and try to remain positive. Alongside that, he thinks he will bring a good balance of being able to laugh and joke with the guys which he believes is important for a “good atmosphere”, but then being able to flick the switch and be serious when it needs to be serious. Furthermore, the talkative and outgoing Ben also thinks of himself as an “empathetic” person, and he often finds himself looking out for others.
As he is one of the older riders in the Development program, Ben expects himself then to naturally fall into more of a captain’s role and being an important cog in bringing the guys together. It’s something he’s done in his previous teams at a younger age and something he relishes. With that maturity he also finds extra motivation in everything that surrounds him.
“It’s motivating to work even harder being in this team. You see everything that has been put in place for you and know how much work all the staff and other guys are putting in; it’s quite exciting.”
Looking ahead to the coming years on the road Ben hopes to play a part in as many successes as possible with the team and for him it “doesn’t matter who crosses the line first, as long as the team wins.” With that being said, as a competitive person there is a twinkle in his eye when he reveals that Mark Cavendish was his childhood idol, and his old training coach when he was seven used to call him mini-Cav, so we’re also sure Ben would enjoy getting back to winning ways himself after a “challenging few years.”
Away from the bike, Ben enjoys spending time with his girlfriend, friends and family and likes to go to visit the beach when he can, which is conveniently located near his girlfriend’s mum’s house, so he laughs it’s a “good reason to visit” them. Apart from that, he enjoys spending time outdoors but if you’re lucky then you might catch him honing his DJ skills on the decks; so we’re sure that the bus will be a lively place!