Tout donner pour garder ce maillot rouge sur les épaules ! 😵 10 jours que Ben O'Connor le porte, encore 7 jours à tenir! 💪 Defending this red jersey with all we've got! 😵 10 days in, 7 left! 💪 #DECATHLONAG2RLAMONDIALETEAM @lavuelta
"You can guarantee that tomorrow Primoz Roglic is going to go all-in and try to get that time back” - Ben O'Connor doesn't think 20 second Vuelta time penalty will mean much
CyclingTuesday, 03 September 2024 at 11:00
Although Ben O'Connor battled hard throughout the second week of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana, the Australian now has Primoz Roglic breathing down his neck in the fight for the Red Jersey.
“I didn’t expect it [to have the jersey], but the excitement really hasn’t changed since I had the jersey,” O’Connor reflected of the situation on the Vuelta a Espana's second rest day this Monday. “Now it’s that moment of heavy work and trying to hold onto it as much as I can.”
Whilst he does still have just over a minute of advantage in the general classification, things were almost even closer. After stage 15, Roglic was given a 20 second time penalty for drafting behind his team car after a bike change, inadvertently benefitting O'Connor's situation in the process.
“I didn’t lose another 20 seconds, and I guess they dealt it out as they saw fit. I didn’t even know he changed bikes, to be fair,” O’Connor said about the incident, playing down its importance. “A 20 second advantage back to me is handy, that’s for sure, but you can guarantee that tomorrow he is going to go all-in and try to get that time back.”
“I was told yesterday it’s the most an Australian has had a leader’s jersey in a grand tour. That’s a pretty cool fun fact, and I am proud to be in this position," continues O'Connor, retaining a positive outlook on proceedings. “What I need to do is be at my absolute best tomorrow. That is one of the main ones. Saturday’s stage suits me most almost out of the whole race. Tomorrow is a very important day to be good.”
The plan also remains clear: to win the Vuelta. “I am not a betting man. I don’t bet and I am not going to do that,” O'Connor concludes. “The hope is this final week goes well and I can be my best and I can seize the opportunity.”
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