Two Aussies, 🇦🇺 Ben O'Connor and 🇦🇺 Luke Plapp are in the top 5 on the general classification after the time trial! #sbsgiro #Giro #couchpeloton
"These kinds of climbs tend to suit me quite well" - From 'dumbest guy in the race' to podium contender, Ben O'Connor ready for Giro's toughest test yet
CyclingSaturday, 11 May 2024 at 14:30
After blowing up on stage 2 as he tried to follow Tadej Pogacar, Ben O'Connor labelled himself the 'dumbest guy in the race'. In the days since however, the Australian has regrouped impressively and as the second summit finish looms on stage 8, O'Connor is sitting 4th overall.
“Ah, I think it's still true, but yeah, it's past now. Yeah, I just have to focus on every other day coming up," the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team leader reflects on his blow out on Oropa earlier in the race, in conversation with GCN ahead of stage 8. "I did lose some time there, but I'll gain time in other places, hopefully, and can be at my best.”
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On paper a much tougher day of climbing than earlier in the week, O'Connor is confident that especially the long final climb to the line at Prati di Tivo is well suited to his capabilities. More so than the Oropa climb on stage 2. “I think a lot of guys were a bit on the limit in general the first two days," he recalls. "I don't know if it was just freshness or the load that we've been doing in training, it's hard really to say, but there were quite a few guys that were panting quite a bit.”
“Saturday is a much harder stage than the Oropa finish in general,” he explains. “The climb is much longer than Oropa. Oropa went by really quickly whilst this is much longer and much more steady as well. It’s a bit more train-like in the end. “I’ve never done it, but these kinds of climbs tend to suit me quite well and I think there’s only really long climbs between now and the end of the Giro. Normally that kind of stuff plays into my ballpark.”
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