O'Connor upbeat after finishing in the podium "with actually the very best in the world" at Dauphiné, eyes Tour de France
Cycling
Ben O'Connor has surged as a breakthrough overall classification contender last year at the Tour de France where he went on to finish the race in fourth place, and has since taken further leaps to improve his consistency.
This past weekend he finished on the podium of the Critérium du Dauphiné, a big achievement for the Australian who has taken a lot of motivation towards the Tour. “I can be super proud of this. Jonas [Vingegaard] was second in the Tour last year, Primož [Roglic] has won the Vuelta three times and pretty much every other stage race. It just means you’re there fighting with the best guys, so I can be really proud today."
The leader of AG2R Citroën Team had a very consistent week without putting a foot wrong, and with very strong performance in the summit finishes to Vaujany and Plateau de Solaison where his strong ascents boosted him up to third place in the overall classification. “It’s kind of clear, I’m moving really well,” he said.
“All the work we’ve done as a team has paid off. We’re really not far away from fighting with actually the very best in the world, and that’s something we can be proud of. I just need to get to the Tour now, not get too tired beforehand, and hopefully not having too many problems in the Tour," O'Connor pointed out.
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The 26-year old won't go into the race with expectations or support anywhere near Jumbo-Visma, however with the lack of responsibility and his strong climbing abilities he managed to ride into the podium, which he may try to repeat at the Tour de France next month.
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- He lives in Monaco
Rafionain-Glas03-11-2026 - It's also highly significant for Lorenzo Finn as he won there last year. Also Mateo Ramírez and Henrique Bravo if they goRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- This is a phenomenal course design. I do wish that they'd stretch these tours for the women to at least 2 weeks.RidesHills03-11-2026
- This is an amazing route, honestly. Let's hope that it attracts riders to make it a compelling and competitive race. Side bar amusement: going to Slovenia and passing pretty close to Pogačar's house. I wonder if they were tempting him to get all 3 jerseys at once after winning the Tour and Vuelta. After all, only a very few have ever had all three at the same time (Froome being the last).RidesHills03-11-2026
- He was a child two years agoRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route aswell. Col d'Arpy is a toughieRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- Let Torito have a shot at itRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- A great route, much more exciting than the Tour de France. Monte Livata is an interesting one, because they experimented with it at the 2026 Baby Giro, and it was fantastic. 4 km at 10%, then 10 km at 6.5% made for a great spectacle. The stage 16 is horrible. Montaner is also used in the U23s, in Giro del BelvedereRafionain-Glas03-11-2026
- I remember when Mark went through that. He was really experiencing lows and thought about quiting many times. It took him a long time to recover. I, like many others were overjoyed when he came back. I hope Lafay has been tested. I wish him the best.Paggss03-11-2026
- That sucks for him. I've always wondered what guys like him do after retiring from cycling - go back to uni? He's still a very young manCrashjames03-11-2026
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🇫🇷 @dauphine Etape après étape, tu t'en rapproches @ben_oconnor95 💪. On continue. Step by step, you're getting there @ben_oconnor95 💪. We keep going! #AG2RCITROËNTEAM #RoulonsAutrement #RideDifferently - © Getty
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