“The preparation has been spot on! Nothing is going wrong" - Ben O'Connor high on confidence ahead of 2024 Giro d'Italia

For the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team leader, Ben O'Connor, the 2024 Giro d'Italia marks a brilliant opportunity to make the first Grand Tour podium of his career.

“The preparation has been spot on! Nothing is going wrong and every race before the Giro, so far, is going well," previews the 28-year-old Australian ahead of the Giro d'Italia in an official press release from his team. "The fifth place in Tirreno-Adriatico shows that I was there to fight with the best in the race."

Perhaps the biggest strength O'Connor can fall back on going into the Giro d'Italia is the fact that with himself and the Paret-Peintre brothers, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team have one of the strongest climbing blocks in the entire field. "We’ve got a pretty well-rounded team, the way the boys have been performing recently shows that they are in form and also ready. It should be a good time and I think we’re prepared for the race," says O'Connor. "Valentin has stepped up and shown that he can climb very well with the best riders while maintaining a good burst of speed for fast finishes. It’s been cool to see our team working effectively to achieve the best GC result possible."

"Larry will be there as a road captain, he's also such a good guy, we’ve spent more or less a month together since April, I’ve got a great friendship with him and it’s always cool to share it with a friend," the former 4th-placed finisher at the Tour de France concludes. " Another journey is coming up through May and it’s nice to do it with this team.”