Even when Ben O’Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) nonetheless had the pink jersey on his shoulders this week, he held a clear-eyed view concerning the overarching objective of his Vuelta a España. “My major goal is to be on that podium in Madrid,” he mentioned in Vitoria on Thursday. “No matter place that’s, that’s the goal.”
And but sporting the chief’s jersey of a Grand Tour is a humorous factor. Some riders are impressed by the expertise, whereas others are inhibited. Few are unmoved, together with O’Connor. At instances throughout his tenure as race chief, the Australian discovered himself lured by the jersey into efforts he maybe shouldn’t have made.
When O’Connor lastly misplaced the jersey to Primož Roglič (Crimson Bull-Bora Hansgrohe)on the Alto de Moncalvillo on Friday afternoon, his faint hopes of successful the Vuelta went with it, however the objective of a podium end remained resolutely intact. Now unburdened by the maillot rojo, O’Connor was free to race a little bit in a different way on the street to Picón Blanco on stage 20.
The ultimate mountain of the Vuelta was a brutal one, and the tempo was fearsome, however O’Connor lower his fabric to measure the event. With out the pink jersey on his again, he felt no instinctive compulsion to trace accelerations from Roglič, Enric Mas (Movistar) and Richard Carapaz (EF Schooling-EasyPost).
In contrast to at Cuitu Negru or Lagos de Covadonga, O’Connor felt capable of permit gaps to float open after which steadily sew them again collectively at his personal tempo. The tactic served him nicely on a stage gained by future teammate Eddie Dunbar (Jayco-Alula), as O’Connor positioned sixth, solely seven seconds behind Mas and 4 down on Roglič.
With simply the ultimate time trial in Madrid to return, O’Connor stays second total, now 2:02 behind the unassailable Roglič however nonetheless 9 seconds forward of Mas. Most significantly, he nonetheless has a 58-second buffer over the fourth-placed Carapaz after coming residence simply two seconds behind the Ecuadorian. O’Connor, as ever, was refreshingly frank when requested how he did so.
“By being smarter than I used to be the opposite days,” O’Connor mentioned. “The facility was at all times there, however perhaps I fell into the lure of the pink jersey. It was good to place it collectively immediately, and we have been excellent in the long run.”
When O’Connor conceded two minutes to Roglič on the Puerto de Ancares on stage 13, his finest climbing lieutenant Felix Gall was inexplicably given the liberty to race in defence of his personal total putting. Lengthy since out of the hunt for a high 10 end, Gall delivered a pitch-perfect mountain domestique show on Picón Blanco, serving to O’Connor gauge his effort on the climb.
“The boys have been nice, they surrounded me all day and Felix did an important job to tempo the climb, as I most likely ought to have completed the entire race,” mentioned O’Connor.
“Due to all of the boys these final 20 days. I like them to bits. They at all times stepped up after I wanted them. Fairly just a few groups tried to make it exhausting immediately, I’m happy with all of the boys and proud to complete these 20 days with an excellent consequence immediately.”
O’Connor is aware of, after all, that the duty isn’t accomplished simply but. There may be nonetheless the matter of a 24.6km time trial in Madrid on Sunday night, the place Mas would possibly nicely have sufficient to overtake his deficit. Carapaz, in the meantime, gained precisely a second per kilometre on O’Connor within the opening time trial in Lisbon, and he should decide up greater than 2.3 seconds per kilometre to overhaul the Australian in Madrid.
“Tomorrow is simply me in opposition to the clock, and I’ll goal to do my finest to be on this podium,” mentioned O’Connor. “I’m assured, however it’s biking. I nonetheless must get better and be at my finest tomorrow.”
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