Ben O'Connor stormed to a 4th place at the 2021 Tour de France, and had big goals coming into 2022 off the back of it. It's been a very mixed season however, with injuries and illnesses occasionally wrecking his goals.
"I think it was really good. I can't fault the season, really," O'Connor told Rouleur. "I think I did everything I could have for it to be a good season. I was top 10 in pretty much every single race I did. That's already quite a good achievement." The 26-year old was a leading figure for AG2R Citroën Team, who attempted to build a block around him for the year following his GC success.
"Even in a race I DNFed like Paris-Nice with whatever that nasty bird flu was that was going around, I was in the front echelons and I'm proud of that. Even if I didn't get the result in the end, those days were actually a success because you braved it out and actually learned a new skill really," he said. His stage-racing abilities were a priority, early in the season he rode to 7th at the Vuelta a Andalucia, 7th at Volta a Catalunya and 5th at the Tour de Romandie, besides taking a win at the Tour du Jura.
After finishing third at the Critérium du Dauphiné behind only Primoz Roglic and Jonas Vingegaard, he was touted as an outsider favourite for the Tour. He crashed on the 5th stage in the cobbles however, suffering a torn muscle which saw him abandon at the arrival of the Alps. He refocused however and led the French team into the Vuelta a Espana.
"Although at the Vuelta I was expecting more. I really wanted to be in the top five. I just wasn't good enough at the time. I tried the GC way and I just couldn't reach that peak like I had done earlier in the year at the Dauphiné and heading into the Tour," he said. The Australian nevertheless rode into a strong 8th place of a highly contested race.
"I'm happy with it. I can only say that I wish I was more aggressive at one or two races like at the Tour of Romandie. Otherwise, I think I took my chances pretty well. Got two wins in the year, which is good," he commented. "There were some days I was good. Arensman was so strong on the Sierra Nevada stage and that was a day I really looked to try and do well in. He took the win, and I was a bit sad that I couldn't give it a go. On the last day, I was really keen and motivated, but I didn't have the legs. That was the essence of it."
"You have to remember that last year it was only Romandie, Dauphiné and the Tour that I was in the top 10," he said. "Romandie [2021] was my first top 10 in a WorldTour stage race and now I can do it in every WorldTour stage race. So, I think that shows that I've kind of made it." Now, O'Connor looks to continue his run of consistency into 2023, a season where it is not yet known which races he will be prioritizing.
"I went all-in for it and I wanted to see with the preparation that I had how I could maximise it," he said. "It wasn't my objective at the start of the year and then it turned out to be quite a big objective.
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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.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
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)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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