"I was having trouble breathing" - Ben O'Connor sees podium dreams slip further away on stage 17 of Giro d'Italia

Coming into the final week of racing at the 2024 Giro d'Italia, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team's Ben O'Connor was hopeful of putting the pressure on Daniel Martinez and Geraint Thomas in the fight for the podium. Sadly, those goals have taken a blow with some time loss on stage 17.

Losing 41 seconds on both Martinez and Thomas, O'Connor is now 1:43 off the podium with just a handful of stages left at the opening Grand Tour of 2024. "I was having trouble breathing, I'm fighting something," reflected the 28-year-old Australian in his post-stage interview, unsure of just what exactly is wrong with his level and his health at this key point in the race.

"It's disappointing, but hopefully my lungs will get some rest tomorrow and I'll be ready for the last mountain stages," continues O'Connor, who will have what, on paper at least is a relatively calm day in the fight for the general classification fight, with either the sprinters or the breakaway likely to battle it out for the stage win instead.

"I'm not at my best right now," O'Connor admits honestly, although he remains hopeful that things can and will change around for him in the upcoming stages, keeping his dreams of a first Grand Tour podium finish alive. "Hopefully it will get better."