Ben O'Connor is back in battle for podium after a great time trial: "Without that mechanical, I probably would have been 7th or 8th"

For Ben O'Connor, the stage 7 time trial to Perugia was a chance to reset his confiedence bar after Oropa disappointment. And the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale rider proved that he still hasn't backed down from the battle for Giro d'Italia podium, despite an untimely mechanical which cost the Australian a top 10 result on Friday.

"Physically, I'm really happy how my effort went. We paced it perfectly and I maximized my potential. I did drop my chain at a pretty average moment. I stopped and a mechanic helped me to put my chain back up. I lost easily 20-30 seconds there. Without that mechanical, I probably would have been 7th or 8th," O'Connor expressed in press release.