INTERVIEW | "I finished the Olympics furious" - Ben O'Connor on the most difficult moments out of a brilliant year
Cycling
Ben O'Connor experienced a tremendous season. Finishing second at the Vuelta a España, World Championships and UAE Tour, alongside a fourth place at the Giro d'Italia and a few victories throughout the year, it was the highlight of the Australian's career. But in words to CyclingUpToDate, he has also shared the most difficult moments of this year.
In Altea, O'Connor sat down with a group of journalists where much has been discussed. The now Team Jayco AlUla rider admit that the nationality was a key factor to sign for Jayco, cemented the fact that he will focus on the Tour de France and that he can ride just as well as he did this year where he was an absolute highlights of the season.
At the start of the year he described a 'fun' win at the Vuelta a Murcia, where he was racing without pressure. Having asked O'Connor which moment was the most disappointing of his year, he has two answers but the first of which was at the Giro d'Italia where he was actually close to finishing on the podium.
"The Giro fourth place for sure. That was the most annoying. At the Giro I was sick as I explained before, I don't feel like I did the race that I deserved, that I worked for". The 29-year old described how he had been sick and on stages 16 and 17 he felt like a shadow of himself. Only on stage 20 (where the riders climbed Monte Grappa twice) did he feel like himself again. But the time lost prevented him from attacking the podium of Geraint Thomas.
But he recalled another tough day: "Actually the Olympics, both of them [...] At the Olympics you can actually ask Simon Clarke or Bling (Michael Matthews, ed.). Clarke said 'this is probably why you were so good at the Vuelta' because I was so angry. Cause I finished the Olympics furious, I had such a bad race, I felt like I let Australia down, cause that's what you're there. There was a fire in the belly".
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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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