"A lot of guys in the top 10 were interested in the breakaway" - Ben O'Connor defends against potential raids on stage 10 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana

Having forced his way into the Red Jersey via a long breakaway raid on stage 6 of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, Ben O'Connor and his Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team were on high alert on stage 10 to defend against similar moves by his rivals.

“In the end, it was the perfect scenario. It was a really hard start, it took a long time for the break to go," assesses the Australian in his post-stage 10 interview afterwards. "A lot of guys in the top 10 were interested in the breakaway so I think we did a good job today to control the start."

"Other teams were trying to stay in position so we did the descents full gas, the pace was pretty hard onto the second climb and then it pretty much stopped," continues O'Connor, delighted to tick off another day in red and move closer to a first Grand Tour win. "It was about staying in position."

On stage 11 however, it's likely the general classification fight will come to the fore again, with the Red Jersey defence of Ben O'Connor set to be a key factor for the stage. "I think tomorrow, the finale will be a little more decisive," the race leader previews. "The final climb is a hard one so it will be interesting to see.”