Ben O'Connor doesn't yet know which will be the main objective at his Vuelta a Espana, but after a big disappointment at the Tour de France, the AG2R Citroën Team rider will be aiming high throughout these three weeks.
“It would be a dream to finish on the podium, that’d be super, super cool. It was nice doing it at the Dauphiné, that was already a big achievement. The next thing, for sure, is to try and do it at a grand tour," O'Connor said in a press conference. The Australian soared to a fourth place at last year's Tour de France, and entered this year's race with similar ambitions.
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However, he abandoned the race early on, having crashed and lost meaningful time in the cobbled stage of the race, the injuries also meant he couldn't continue. “But it doesn’t really matter; it matters for the team but personally, there’s always another chance, another race," he said. "To focus just on the Tour de France can be a bit too much. So it’s nice being here at the Vuelta and far more chill.”
O'Connor hasn't raced since. However, he's confident that he'll reach good form and fight alongside the best. "If a stage win happens, I’ll also be super proud. If one of those two [stage win or GC podium] can pass, I’d be extremely happy.” But just being able to race a grand tour at the front with guys like Primož, Mas and Yatesy would already make me proud".
“For sure, I come here with some GC ambitions, but the race will play out how it does. I’m pretty confident I can be up there with the guys. I’d like to just race how I did in the Dauphiné and every other race this year, that’s the main objective," O'Connor explained. AG2R will mainly be focusing on stage wins, however if the 26-year old can once again make his stage-racing talent visible, the plans may change.
“The objective is always to win, just because you do GC doesn’t write you off from winning a stage. It probably makes it a bit more difficult because you have less freedom and chances. But if you do take a risk, sometimes it pays off," he added.
O'Connor concluded. “I think it suits an open way to approach a hilltop finish in general because there are ten of them; GC guys won’t win them all but you will have to try to win a lot of them. I don’t really want to roll into Madrid finishing 10th having just hung on every day, that’s not how I want to try and race it here,”
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
- Good Point, I wonder if he's been testedmhfrvz03-11-2026
- A busy boy!Lozza03-11-2026
- I hope 2027 is his year.mij03-11-2026
- why does he have to? many GT riders from Froome to Contador to Indurain didn't do them.mij03-11-2026
- I think Jonas would have lost the TDF by 4+ minutes (at the least) and might not have even been in the top 3. Too much talent in the younger riders to say anyone not named Pogačar would have been top 3md197503-11-2026
- this is just stupid. you already have 23%, gravel is over the topabstractengineer03-11-2026
- There was once a time when Lance was supremely popular and he used his artificial "It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life" persona to lead his mob in going after Greg. There was no one Lance did not abuse in protecting his phony hero image. Lance promoted himself as a divine megastar and he let down millions of cancer victims and gullible devotees who clung far too long to the charade. Lance is the epitome of a corrupt person and because of his power, many around him, including business enterprises, succumbed to the evil. All who got in Armstrong's way were mercilessly attacked by him and his minions. This remarkably continues today with a new generation. LeMond was a number one enemy and paid a huge price. Who do you think slandered who?Yepperoni03-11-2026
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🇪🇸 @lavuelta ➡️ 50km de reco à quelques heures du départ 🚩 ➡️ 50km of recon a few hours from the start 🚩 #AG2RCITROËNTEAM #RoulonsAutrement #RideDifferently - © KBLB
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