"My goal is to get the first big result of the season" - Ben O'Connor makes Team Jayco AlUla debut at Volta a Comunitat Valenciana 2025
Cycling
One of the big signings of the recent off-season, much is expected of Ben O'Connor for Team Jayco AlUla in 2025. After making a real breakthrough in 2024, finishing runner-up at the Vuelta a Espana and the World Championship road race, the Aussie is set to kick off his new season at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana.
“It will be my first time at the Volta a Comunitat Valenciana but above all it’s my first race with my new team," previews the new Team Jayco AlUla leader in a pre-race press release posted on his team's official website. "Since I started my professional career, I always knew that, sooner or later, I would be part of the GreenEDGE family. For us Australian riders, Team Jayco AlUla remains the reference team, and I am very proud to be here."
Given it's his first race though, O'Connor is looking to make a big impression. "My goal is to give my best and get the first big result of the season," he says, announcing his plans with determination. "We have a very competitive team, which can do well at the TTT and then it will be up to me to be strong on the many climbs of the Spanish race.”
"It’s early season of course but we still have ambitions here. It’s the first race for Ben O’Connor with the team and his preparation has so far gone all to plan. We will aim to do a good race with him in the GC. First, we have the super important TTT on stage one. This will set the scene for the following stages and how a big part of the rest of the race unfolds," adds Team Jayco AlUla sports director David McPartland. "The week overall is solid one with three of the five stages comprising more than 3,000m of climbing. There is also the last stage and potentially one of the lighter mountain stages where we may see a reduced bunch sprint and for that we have another new member in Jelte Krijnsen for a result.”
Team Jayco AlUla for Volta a Comunitat Valenciana 2025
Ben O'Connor
Jelte Krijnsen
Robert Donaldson
Michael Hepburn
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Jasha Sütterlin
Filippo Zana
Jelte Krijnsen
Robert Donaldson
Michael Hepburn
Christopher Juul-Jensen
Jasha Sütterlin
Filippo Zana
🔮 RACE PREVIEW
— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) February 3, 2025
🎤 Ben O'Connor: "For us Australian riders, Team Jayco AlUla remains the reference team, and I am very proud to be here. My goal is to give my best and get the first big result of the season."
🇪🇸 #75VCV read more ⤵️
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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