It's fair to say that not too many would have predicted that Ben O'Connor would be wearing the Red Jersey at the first rest day of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, let alone with a lead of nearly four minutes, but here we are.
Despite the positive situation for the Australian leader of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, in his rest day press conference, O'Connor insists that the pressure is on him. "I'm not that nervous, to be honest. It was so incredibly unexpected. I never dared to think that I would wear the red jersey," says O'Connor in quotes collected by In de Leiderstrui. "There are a lot of GC riders, but only a few get the chance to wear a leader's jersey. I didn't necessarily consider myself one of those contenders, so this is extra nice. It also takes the pressure off me."
"I'm mainly trying to enjoy myself and enjoy racing as much as possible. It's up to others to attack, and not me. That of course brings a different approach," the Australian continues, putting the pressure on his rivals, the nearest of whom is Primoz Roglic at 3:53 down. "I feel pretty good after nine tough and above all hot days. It was an aggressive race, but I like that. I'm very happy to have Felix Gall by my side. He's a top guy and super strong. That's very nice."
On stage 9, the duo of Adam Yates and Richard Carapaz made big gains, giving O'Connor two extra contenders to worry about in the coming days. Not ideal perhaps, but far from a disaster according to the Red Jersey himself. "for Yates, we decided that he could get into the breakaway. And he did fantastically, chapeau. As for Carapaz: that was really surprising, but still impressive. A special way of racing, but very beautiful. It was great that he kept it up for so long," assesses the 28-year-old race leader.
The fact is though, O'Connor stands with what is most likely, his best ever chance of taking a first Grand Tour win. "We will see who will win, but it will simply be the strongest man," he concludes. "Whether that is me, or Primoz Roglic, Enric Mas or whoever: we will experience it."
