Ben O’Connor’s lead is shrinking daily, but he’s happy that Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard aren’t in the race. The 15th stage of the 79th Vuelta a España featured the legendary Lagos de Covadonga, where Marc Soler claimed his third career stage win in the Vuelta with another breakaway triumph. Primož Roglič came within five seconds of overtaking O’Connor for the red jersey. It was a disastrous day for Wout van Aert, who crashed out of the race.
A day earlier, the Australian spoke to Eurosport. The interviewer asked what it’s like not having Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard at the Vuelta, given their dominance of Grand Tours lately.
“You feel super involved in the race, which is one of the best things. When those two boys are there and they are a class above, it can be hard because you never have that opportunity,” he said. “Here, I’ve had this jersey now for 10 days, which wasn’t possible in the Giro, for example. It’s just been a pleasure to be here and have that shot.”
How much longer he keeps the maillot rojo remains to be seen. Roglič continues to claw back at the advantage that O’Connor and the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team took earlier on—which at one point was 6 minutes. Now he trails by just 5 seconds. Still, O’Connor feels confident.
“Friday’s stage really suits Primož a lot, so that’s a big battle. To be honest, the day I’m looking forward to most is Saturday,” he said. “The Pico Blanco stage. It’s almost 5000 metres of climbing. It’s the kind of day I always love; that’s my kind of jam. Once the Vuelta is finished in Madrid, I’ll also have a nice celebration and I’ll be even happier then.”
The Australian has never won a Grand Tour, let alone made the podium. At the Tour de France in 2021, he finished fourth—the same result he achieved at the 2024 Giro d’Italia.
As well as the mountain stages he mentioned, the Vuelta—similar to this year’s Tour—is finishing with a time trial. Stage 21 is a 24.6-km contre la montre in Spain. Roglič is a fierce competitor in the discipline—and has both won and lost Grand Tours because of it. In 2020, he heartbreakingly lost the Tour de France to Pogacar in a time trial, but in 2023, he took a spectacular—and dramatic—win at the Giro d’Italia over Geraint Thomas.
Stage 17 of the Vuelta a España goes from Arnuero to Santander for a total of 141.5 km with two significant climbs. You can watch the Vuelta on FloBikes.com.
The post Ben O’Connor on racing without Pogačar and Vingegaard: ‘It’s a lot more enjoyable’ appeared first on Canadian Cycling Magazine.
