🇮🇹 @giroditalia 📅 24/05 🚩 Mortegliano 🏁 Sappada 🚴🏻 157 km 📺 @Eurosport_FR - 13h10 #DECATHLONAG2RLAMONDIALETEAM
Ben O'Connor anticipates Giro d'Italia's stage 20: "It must be one of the hardest ones you can do in cycling"
CyclingFriday, 24 May 2024 at 12:45
Ben O'Connor has experienced ups and downs during this Giro d'Italia but he remains in fourth position. He says that he is content with this position but still hopes for good days in the final weekend of the race and a podium... He specially anticipates the 20th stage which goes up to Monte Grappa twice.
“I just don’t think it was my best day. I think it was far from it. So hopefully by Saturday, I’ll be back onto how I felt for the first two weeks, which was the same as G and Dani," O'Connor said in The Cycling Podcast regarding stage 17 where he shed 41 seconds to Geraint Thomas and Daniel Martínez. "I wouldn’t say yesterday (stage 17, ed.) was explosive, because it was super hard all day, and you were kind of on the pedals all day, along with the tricky nature of the course with wet roads almost the whole day. I don’t think the change in course [on stage 16] really changed much, it was how things should have been in the end."
Into the 19th stage of the race, which finishes in Sappada and isn't expected to have much GC action, the Australian is 1:43 minutes behind third place Geraint Thomas. However, he has Antonio Tiberi and Thymen Arensman within 1:30 minutes of his fourth place and is aware that his position is at risk.
“I feel like I’m sitting where I deserve to be to be honest,” he said. “Fourth is fair because Dani has been better and G has been more consistent. I’d be happy with [fourth], but I’d prefer third. Or second..." Nevertheless, after winning the Vuelta a Murcia, finishing second at the UAE Tour and Tour of the Alps; and fifth at Tirreno-Adriatico; a strong GC performance at the Giro is the continuation of what is perhaps his best season to date as a professional.
Could it still get better though? His last mountain stage was not good, but already on the first week he came back from a bad day and rode with the best afterwards. This could still happen, and the final mountain stage is the kind of day where race-changing gaps can be created.
There’s always more to be wanting, and I think Saturday will be really interesting with Monte Grappa because it’s such a hard climb," he says. The stage includes two ascents of the 18-kilometer climb that averages over 8%. "It must be one of the hardest ones you can do in cycling to be honest, so I don’t think it’s going to be 20-second gaps at the end."
Profile of 2024 Giro d'Italia stage 20
Read also
claps 0visitors 465
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Thanks Dadmobk22-12-2024
- Hard to believe with the advancment of modern medicine he can not find a cause for this.frieders321-12-2024
- You continue to platform these two cheats. With that in mind I can no longer use your site. I know my leaving means little, but, sometimes you have to take a stand. See ya!DJ21-12-2024
- Look at what Froome’s won since his last TdF, stop denying there is still more than possible one outcome to the future.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- Bruyneel understands nothing about clean competition.Sweep21-12-2024
- Exactly. Remco won 3 WT races/stages last year compared to Pogocar's 19. Remco's single stage win in last years TdF earned him a meager 12 seconds over Pogocar who shellac'd him by 9 minutes in GC.Sweep21-12-2024
- Fortunately and as you point out, more than one strategy is possible and worth trying and I’m sure all concerned riders are well informed and counselled on this subject and don’t need such basic personal advice through media from an outsider.Mistermaumau21-12-2024
- The main SPOTY award is "decided" by public vote but the BBC "expert panel" decide who you can choose from, that choice has an equal split of genders and is focussed on the sports BBC show and a disabled athlete. Oh yea the ubiquitous "Pub Games" candidate there too, Darts and Snooker are not sports. The other awards are decided by the "Expert Panel" again it's about the sports BBC show, cycling has had it. Cav got his for his years and achievements in the sport, not just that 35th TDF win. Unless the BBC get access to Pro Cycling it will never feature "adequately" on SPOTYslappers6621-12-2024
- Ahhh..... you have to understand the "strange" diversity concepts of the BBCslappers6621-12-2024
- Avoiding him is a good strategy, you get more wins and then you can compete in the TDF relatively relaxed. Pit yourself against Pogi and not only there will be no wins, it will be considerable mental setbackabstractengineer21-12-2024