Destructive strength and a long breakaway by Ben O'Connor produced one of the greatest upsets in recent years at the Vuelta a España.

O'Connor crossed the finish line in Junqueras, a small village in the Malaga mountains of southern Spain. His first victory in the Vuelta, a stage win in a Grand Tour, his first leader's jersey, and an overall advantage after losing time in the Pico Vilhuelcas summit finish, propelled Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale into the leading contender for the overall win.

O'Connor, previously 23rd overall, jumped up 22 places in GC thanks to a clever break-in mid-week and a solo ride for the last 27km, becoming the first Australian to lead the Vuelta since Rohan Dennis won the opening TT in 2018.

A better comparison, however, is that he could become the first Australian to win a Grand Tour overall since fellow Perth native Jai Hindley at the 2022 Giro d'Italia.

Comparisons with Sepp Kuss in 2023 are inevitable. However, unlike Kuss in 2023, O'Connor already has a significant track record in Grand Tour overall contention. [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] [...] When he dropped the DSM player, he knew he was going to win the stage.”

“In any case,” he added with a grin, perhaps referring to Renate van Eotveld's premature victory celebration on the stage to Ville Elkas, “it's always best not to celebrate in the end.

When asked about the impending departure of longtime Decathlon AG2R La Mondial boss Vincent Lavenu from the team, O'Connor said, “The team has talked to me enough about it.

In any case, O'Connor will leave the French team again soon next year and move to Jayco Aiaiaia. He was more candid about his basic conditioning and preparation for the Vuelta.

“I always knew I was in good shape. I hadn't raced much, but I was ready for this race and to be able to fight for this kind of success was my second goal for this season. And this win shows how much that hard work paid off."

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