“Anywhere but fourth” was Ben O'Connor's pre-race goal for the Vuelta a España, and his second place overall in Madrid was a landmark three week performance in his career.

The Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale racer not only took a stunning solo stage win in the first week of the Vuelta, but also defended his simultaneous Vuelta lead for 13 days, finally winning the overall on stage 19 in Montcarvillo from overall winner Primos Roglic (Red Bull= (Red Bull=Bora-Hansgrohe), the overall winner, on stage 19 at Montcarvillo.

But rather than throw in the towel on his lead, O'Connor continued to fight for GC in the Vuelta until the end, finishing 11th in the final time trial stage and finishing the Vuelta with a 41-second overall advantage over third-placed Enric Mas (Movistar).

The 28-year-old, whose tenacity in Spain earned him his first Grand Tour podium at the age of 28, heads to his new team, Jayco Aiaiaia, in 2025 with renewed hope that he can still compete for Grand Tour victories in the future.

O'Connor, who finished fourth overall in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France and finally made the GC podium in the Vuelta, told reporters at the finish line.

Of the way he fought to finish second overall in the Vuelta, he said, “Maybe it was unconventional, but I think it was just gutsy to get through to today and finish with the TT today. So I'm pretty proud of this result."

He added, ”I'm very happy with the way I finished, and I'm very proud of the way I finished.

The final time trial itself was the final piece of the Vuelta GC jigsaw puzzle, O'Connor claimed.

“It's definitely better than the TT [stage 1] in Lisbon.

“I was nervous this morning. In fact, my coach flew in last night for the team car. It took a load off my shoulders because there was always the weight of personal expectations.”

Aside from the result, he recognizes that fighting for second place overall and keeping the leader's jersey has been a huge learning curve for O'Connor.

“Sometimes you don't trust your instincts, and sometimes you get a little wiser and don't trust your instincts. So in the Grand Tour it's all about picking your moments, and I think that's probably the key takeaway.”

When asked how he valued second place behind Roglic, O'Connor had no doubt that “second place for me is a win,” rather than a specific number.

“I'm really surprised I made it to stage 19 still wearing the red jersey. Especially after the Giro.” Especially after the Giro.”

Regarding the possibility of a podium finish in the Vuelta, he said during the race, “I knew it was possible. I was confident after Granada [stage 9], but I suffered a lot in the second half of the second week.”

Finally losing the jersey to Roglic was “a moment I had been waiting for a long time. But I wasn't angry, I didn't expect to wear the red jersey for two weeks. It's one thing to win, it's another to finish second or third.”

He said there was no point where he was in major danger. But both the super steep Ancares [stage 15], where he struggled, and Montcalvillo [stage 19], where Roglic regained the lead with an exceptional performance and O'Connor lost nearly two minutes, were also very tough moments. As O'Connor said with a wry smile, “In Montcalvillo I put it in reverse gear.”

“But there was never a moment when it completely exploded. But Primosch was a worthy winner of this Vuelta a España.”

O'Connor may fight for a Grand Tour win in the future, but he remains grounded. Asked if he thought he could beat Tadej Pogachar, Jonas Vingegaard, or Roglic, he said no

. Because in the end it wasn't enough to win. But I was good enough to get on the podium, and in the end I was trying to minimize my losses. That was our main goal.”

“Over the last two days, I was able to do some races that I am really proud of, both in the climbs and in the time trial. It's really nice to finish a race feeling proud of my effort.” [Finishing on the podium of the Vuelta is a dream come true, something I've been chasing for the last few years, and it's great to finally do it.

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