"Something very few achieve today with Jonas and Tadej dominating" - Ben O'Connor on Vuelta history and ambitions

Being a general classification rider nowadays in pro cycling is becoming a more difficult task for many riders due the increasingly high demands, but also because of the exceedingly dominating figures such as Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. Many riders seek their opportunities through breakaways and different ways of succeeding in the three-week races, as Ben O'Connor has found quite successfully.

“I had already won stages in Grand Tours, but Yunquera was special. To wear the red jersey, so iconic, for two weeks is something very few achieve today with Jonas and Tadej dominating," O'Connor shared with Marca. "To hold that lead for so long was, as they said, life-changing. I don’t know if I’ll ever wear a leader’s jersey for two straight weeks again, but it’s an experience I’ll carry with me for the rest of my career.”

He rode to second in the Vuelta, and later on second at the World Championships in Zurich as well behind Tadej Pogacar. The Australian is keen on giving it a go on different kinds of races and seeing seeing where his cards land.

“You never know. We’re all human, nobody is perfect, even if some come close. In cycling there is a lot of variation. Last year it seemed like Roglic had my race under control and suddenly someone like me ended up five minutes down in the general classification. With a smarter reading I might have been even closer to winning it. Anything can happen. If you’re going for the GC you have to perform every day, sometimes you feel better, sometimes worse, but you can’t just choose two stages."

After an 11th place but a stage win at the Tour de France, the leader of Team Jayco AlUla could be happy with his results. His ambitions at the Vuelta are likely very similar but include a team that is stronger in the mountains.

“We have an excellent block here. Chris Harper and Eddie Dunbar are a great help in the mountains, Eddie won last year on Picón Blanco, and around them we have many teammates well placed to control things. It’s a fun group, after every stage at the table we can talk for hours. That atmosphere creates both team spirit and results.”

“Going for the general classification doesn’t mean stopping attacking, it means choosing calculated risks," he explains, having given the perfect example over several of his last Grand Tours. "Last year I took a big risk by going in the breakaway and exposing myself to win the stage and recover time after some bad days. It worked out. Back in the 2021 Tour I did something similar in the mountains, I won the stage, took all the time possible and finished fourth. Being aggressive has given me my best results… but always with a clear head.”

“I would be happy if I could keep performing as I did last year. I want to keep winning, and winning big. The experience of the La Vuelta podium was proof that a group can set a goal and achieve it," the 29-year old adds. "After fifth in the Giro I knew I had let a podium chance slip. Now it’s about repeating the best results and, sometimes, improving them: going back to the Tour for another victory and being back on the podium in Madrid.”