INTERVIEW | "I finished the Olympics furious" - Ben O'Connor on the most difficult moments out of a brilliant year

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.

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"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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