tour de france o'connor

• As it happened: Another hectic sprint on Giro d'Italia stage 4

‘I’ll try not to make that mistake again’ – Ben O’Connor pays price for Pogačar pursuit at Giro d’Italia

Australian loses ground at Oropa after being the last man to resist the favourite

At the Giro d’Italia , the line between courage and recklessness is always a faint one. Ben O’Connor only realised he had crossed it a shade under 4km from the summit of Oropa on stage 2, as he watched Tadej Pogačar’s rear wheel disappear steadily and inexorably from his view.

It was hard to tell which was the greater ordeal for O’Connor , the ascent of Oropa itself or the long drop to his team bus in Biella afterwards. On the way up the mountain, the Australian had gamely tried to resist Pogačar’s stage-winning onslaught . On the way back down after the stage, he was haunted by the realisation that his bravery had spilled across the border into folly.

“I wanted to try to follow Pogi. It was kind of a goal because I felt so good, so it was worth a try,” O’Connor said outside the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale bus afterwards. “But perhaps it was a touch too long, and I suffered the consequences for it later in the race.”

Giro d'Italia: Tadej Pogačar crashes but then cracks rivals with solo attack to win stage 2 to Oropa A team on fire - Ben O'Connor leads Decathlon AG2R's search for more success at Giro d'Italia Giro d’Italia 2024 - Analysing the contenders

O’Connor had spoken before this Giro of his desire to go toe to toe with Pogačar, and he was as good as his word here. When Pogačar launched his ineluctable attack 4.4km from the finish, O’Connor was immediately on his wheel, daring to reach out and touch the flame while others watched at a wary distance.

Within a few hundred metres, the heat proved too much even for O’Connor, who had to release his grasp on Pogačar’s wheel. He slipped back to Geraint Thomas (Ineos Grenadiers), but still he persisted in pushing on the pace in a bid to limit the damage. Thomas, by contrast, was content to track O’Connor and, for now at least, to leave Pogačar to indulge in his own personal contest against history.

O’Connor’s strategy was more gallant, but Thomas’ was altogether more pragmatic. After the pair were caught by a group of chasers, O’Connor’s efforts began to tell, and he gradually slipped out the back. At the summit, he was 13th, a minute down on Pogačar. More relevantly, he was 33 seconds behind Thomas and Daniel Martínez (Bora-Hansgrohe).

A long, plaintive expletive echoed from the depths of the Decathlon AG2R bus after O’Connor had climbed aboard after the finish. His exasperation was all the more acute because he had lost time to Thomas et al on a day when he had appeared to be the strongest of the men chasing Pogačar at this Giro.

Get The Leadout Newsletter

The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!

Losing time and moving on

After showering and changing, O’Connor emerged with a rueful smile. His frustration won’t have dissipated entirely in the space of half an hour, but the Subiaco native was already happy to own the error and start moving on from it.

The sanctuary at Oropa was constructed during the Counter-Reformation for pilgrims to perform penance as they climbed towards the chapel at the top. O’Connor, for his part, donned the sackcloth and ashes after he had freewheeled back down the mountain. 

“The idea of every stage is to be fastest to the line, not the fastest to follow the great Pogi,” he confessed.

O’Connor first began to realise he might pay a heavy price for his efforts when Thomas refused his entreaties to come through and help the pursuit of Pogačar. 

“It was just me on the front and we were kind of just going nowhere anyway waiting for the group to come from behind,” he said.

“It kind of all happened pretty fast. It was pretty average, to be honest, how I finished today’s stage, so I’m not very proud of it. I’m proud of how I tried to race, which was aggressive, but I’m just not proud not to have finished off properly.”

It could have been worse, of course. After losing contact with Thomas, Martinez et al, O’Connor still managed to keep his losses within manageable limits, even if he wasn’t quite ready to cling to that thought for consolation.

“You should never lose time like that, it’s just not good enough,” he said. “You have to set yourself to higher standards than losing time for nothing because you’re just not that intelligent. I made a bit of a mistake today. I’ve learned, hopefully, and I’ll try not to make that mistake again.”

In the overall standings, O’Connor is now 10th overall, already 1:45 behind Pogačar but still only 39 seconds off a podium spot. The annoyance at needlessly coughing up time to Thomas and Martinez was tempered by the realisation that there are still three more than 3,000km left to race between here and Rome.

“There’s a long way to go and there’s already boys who are well and truly out of that GC race,” O’Connor said. “I think on the stage to Livigno, there’ll be gaps of minutes between boys, so this might not be the biggest thing in the world. But at the start of the race, you never want to lose 30 seconds.”

Thank you for reading 5 articles in the past 30 days*

Join now for unlimited access

Enjoy your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

*Read any 5 articles for free in each 30-day period, this automatically resets

After your trial you will be billed £4.99 $7.99 €5.99 per month, cancel anytime. Or sign up for one year for just £49 $79 €59

Try your first month for just £1 / $1 / €1

Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation , published by Gill Books.

'I just don't want to have a bad day' – Luke Plapp testing his limits in first Giro d'Italia

Tadej Pogačar: I didn't follow Ganna's attack because I was too badly positioned

Why the Giro d'Italia is the Grand Tour where echelons are almost never a factor - Analysis

Most Popular

• Giro d'Italia
• Stages - Results
• Previous winners
• Football Home
• Fixtures - Results
• Premier League
• Champions League
• Europa League
• All Competitions
• All leagues
• Snooker Home
• World Championship
• UK Championship
• Major events
• Olympics Home
• Tennis Home
• Calendar - Results
• Australian Open
• Roland-Garros
• Mountain Bike Home
• UCI Track CL Home
• Men's standings
• Women's standings
• Cycling Home
• Race calendar
• Tour de France
• Vuelta a España
• Dare to Dream
• Alpine Skiing Home
• Athletics Home
• Diamond League
• World Championships
• World Athletics Indoor Championships
• Biathlon Home
• Cross-Country Skiing Home
• Cycling - Track
• Equestrian Home
• Figure Skating Home
• Formula E Home
• Calendar - results
• DP World Tour
• MotoGP Home
• Motorsports Home
• Speedway GP
• Clips and Highlights
• Rugby World Cup predictor
• Premiership
• Champions Cup
• Challenge Cup
• All Leagues
• Ski Jumping Home
• Speedway GP Home
• Superbikes Home
• The Ocean Race Home
• Triathlon Home
• Hours of Le Mans
• Winter Sports Home

Giro d'Italia: Ben O'Connor 'pretty angry' after failed pursuit of Tadej Pogacar on Stage 2

Published 06/05/2024 at 10:20 GMT

Ben O'Connor took on perhaps the toughest challenge in cycling by going toe-to-toe with Tadej Pogacar on a climb towards the end of Stage 2 at the Giro d'Italia. But the Australian was made to pay for his efforts, admitting he got "stung". A patient approach from Britain's Geraint Thomas of the Ineos Grenadiers saw him profit from the Australian's collapse.

Highlights: Pogacar claims dramatic victory on Stage 2 after crash

Girmay out of Giro d'Italia after crashing twice on wet roads

10 hours ago

Pogacar's bold attacks key to becoming 'greatest ever' - Blythe on 'ridiculous' criticism

11 hours ago

'We got a call, it's not allowed' - Pogacar rules out attack after bib shorts drama

12 hours ago

How to watch Stage 5 of the Giro as sprinters go again

3 hours ago

O'Connor 'suffers the consequences' as Pogacar prevails on Stage 2

Australian ben o’connor believes he learned a valuable lesson on stage 2 of the giro d’italia after losing pace with eventual winner, and new maglia rosa holder, tadej pogacar..

Ben O'connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) attempts to keep pace with Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) during Stage 2 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia

Stream free On Demand

Giro d'Italia 2024

series •  cycling

Giro D'italia 2024, Stage 2

episode • Giro d'Italia 2024 •  sport •  4h 17m

Have a story or comment contact us.

Share this with family and friends

Recommended for you

Merlier on top after Pogacar springs surprise Thomas attack

Giro d'Italia

Narvaez 'plays cards right' against Pogacar to take opening Giro stage

Stage 2 - Winning Moment - Giro d'Italia 2024

How to watch the 2024 Giro d'Italia LIVE on SBS

Stage 3 - Winning Moment - Giro d'Italia 2024

Five storylines to watch at 2024 Giro d'Italia

Stage 3 - Mini Recap - Giro d'Italia 2024

Stage 2 - Mini Recap - Giro d'Italia 2024

Sbs sport newsletter, sign up now for the latest sport news from australia and around the world direct to your inbox..

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Here Are the Contenders Primed to Challenge Cycling’s Dominant Duo in the Giro and Tour de France

[table-of-contents] stripped

As we grow nearer to Grand Tour season, the story is no doubt going to center around cycling’s two biggest names: Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard. Can Pog pull off the Giro/Tour double? If he’s going to, he’ll have to vanquish Vingegaard, the only rider who’s been able to go toe-to-toe with Pogačar. On the other side of the coin, can Vingegaard go three-for-three, becoming just the ninth rider to win at least three Tours (and the sixth to win three consecutively)?

But what about the other riders in the peloton who have a real chance at dethroning the two-headed monster? Surely there are more names to watch than just Pogi and Jonas, more riders who— like Sepp Kuss did in last year’s Vuelta —can shock the world by taking down the giants.

Here are the contenders primed to challenge cycling's dominant duo in the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France :

Remco Evenepoel

There’s no denying that Evenepoel is one of the most talented riders in the WorldTour ranks. And with a pair of Liège-Bastonge-Liège wins and a Vuelta win, he already has a palmarès that most riders dream of. But after a bitterly disappointing Giro abandonment last season and years of answering questions about when he’s going to race the Tour, the time may be here for Evenepoel to exorcize some of the demons and answer the questions that always seem to be following him around.

Yes, he’s won a Grand Tour, but it wasn’t the Grand Tour. Maybe 2024, his Tour debut, is the year to rectify that for and with his Soudal-Quick Step team.

Primož Roglič

With a new team in Bora-Hansgrohe, Roglič will once again be looking to avenge one of the most bitter losses in cycling history: to recapture the Tour de France win that he was just one heartbreaking stage away from in 2020.

That 2020 loss, combined with Vingegaard’s unexpected ascension, pushed Roglič to the fringes of the Grand Boucle. Now, he’ll head into France as the undisputed team leader. And while Roglič’s had a less-than-stellar season thus far, according to Bora’s performance director Rolf Aldag, all eyes are on the Tour for Roglič and his team.

Cian Uijtdebroeks

Just twenty years old, Ujitdebroeks is heading into the Giro with expectations that are simultaneously high and reasonable. Early reports are that the Visma-Lease a Bike all-rounder will be chasing both stage wins and the pink jersey.

Uijtdebroeks finished eighth in last summer’s Vuelta a España and none of the seven riders ahead of him are slated to start the Giro. Of course, it’ll help his cause that he’ll have Wout van Aert, perhaps the world’s greatest domestique, working for him throughout Italy.

Ben O’Connor

Last year, Ben O’Connor asked his French team, Decathlon-AS2R La Mondiale, if he could shift his focus from the Tour de France to the Giro d’Italia. After two consecutive Tours marred by crashes, sickness, and just plain bad luck, O’Connor is hoping to right his ship with a go at the pink jersey.

To the surprise of many, AG2R acquiesced and, as O’Connor has the most WorldTour points of any Giro entrants as of this writing, early returns say they may have made the right move.

Geraint Thomas

Like Pogačar, Ineos Grenadiers’ Geraint Thomas is targeting the Giro/Tour double. He’ll be the team’s sole GC hunter in Italy, as he aims to avenge the pink jersey he lost to Primož Roglič on the penultimate stage of last year’s Giro.

The picture in France gets a bit murkier, as Ineos will be sending Tom Pidcock and Carlos Rodríguez both to the start line in June, making Thomas’s hunt for a second yellow jersey—he won the Tour 2018—a far less straightforward proposition.

Alexsandr Vlasov

The 27-year-old Bora-Hansgrohe rider raised plenty of eyebrows at the dawn of this season when he said he would let the road decide whether he would race for or against his new teammate—and presumed team leader—Primož Roglič.

Well, the reality of that statement might come to a head sooner rather than later. Vlasov has been looking strong this spring, with his most eye-catching performance coming in Paris-Nice, where he finished fifth overall, seventh in the points classification, and fourth in the KOM race. Roglič, on the other hand, finished that race tenth, eleventh, and tenth in those very same classifications.

Simon Yates

Whereas so many riders are bolstered by hype, Simon Yates’s chances for a surprise Tour victory are supported by the fact that he just always seems to be there, near the front, toe-to-toe with the best and the brightest. The Jayco-AlUla leader, who finished fourth overall in 2023, will be making his seventh Tour appearance, so he knows the race as well as just about any of the other contenders. But more than anything, he’ll likely need a few breaks to roll his way.

Jai Hindley

The 2022 Giro champion is expected to ride in support of Roglič in the Tour. But we all know how mercurial Roglič can be, which means Hindley may be presented with a sudden and unexpected chance to fight for the yellow jersey.

Sepp Kuss, Juan Ayuso, and Adam Yates

I’m combining these three, as their longshot potential to make a run at GC would depend on Vingeaard and/or Pogačar blowing up or abandoning, neither of which either does very often. Kuss has shown that he has the strength and the grit to win a Grand Tour, but his shot at the yellow jersey would wholly depend on whether or not Vingegaard is at or near the front.

The same goes for Ayuso and Yates, who will both ride in support of Pogačar this summer. Yates finished third in last year’s Tour, proving that he’s much more than just another domestique. Meanwhile, all signs have been pointing to UAE Team Emirates grooming the 21-year-old Ayuso to be something of a 1A to Pogačar.

• Giro d'Italia

Ben O'Connor confirmed to lead Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at Giro d'Italia as he looks to battle Pogacar and chase final podium

Ben O'Connor had his big breakthrough in 2020, winning a stage of the Giro d'Italia. In 2021 he discovered his talent for contesting Grand Tours and he now finally returns to the Corsa Rosa in 2024 in search of his first Grand Tour podium.

Decathlon AG2R have been having a tremendously strong season so far and they look to continue it at the Giro. Ben O'Connor, second at the UAE Tour and Tour of the Alps this season, comes in as an in-form leader for the race and is a big candidate for the final podium.

OFFICIAL: Tadej Pogacar confirmed at 2024 Giro d'Italia - UAE Team Emirates' 8 features Rafal Majka and Juan Sebastián Molano

He will be well supported in the mountains by the Paret-Peintre brothers. Aurélien won the final stage of the Tour of the Alps and finished fifth at Liège-Bastogne-Liège whilst Valentin has been having a breakthrough season and was fourth in the Alps just over a week ago.

The mountain block comes in form; they will be further support by Alex Baudin , young classics rider Bastien Tronchon and American Larry Warbasse who sets off for his sixth Giro d'Italia. Andrea Vendrame , who finished second in two stages of the Tour de Romandie this past week and was also second in the points classification, will seek success in the hilly days and possibly some sprints.

Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team for Giro d'Italia:

Ben O'Connor Alex Baudin Aurélien Paret-Peintre Valentin Paret-Peintre Damien Touze Bastien Tronchon Andrea Vendrame Larry Warbasse

"BORA - hansgrohe promised me the Co-Leadership for the GC" - Emanuel Buchmann fumes after Giro d'Italia snub

"the team would prefer that i prepare for other important races" - wout poels denied chance to complete set of grand tour stage wins at giro d'italia 2024, read more about:, place comments.

You are currently seeing only the comments you are notified about, if you want to see all comments from this post, click the button below.

Confirmation

Are you sure you want to report this comment?

UNDER_ARTICLE

Wed 08 May 2024

Tue 07 May 2024

Tour d'Italie : Tadej Pogacar veut réaliser un défi quasi-impossible

Grandissime favori du Tour d'Italie, Tadej Pogacar s'attaque samedi à l'immense défi de gagner la même année le Giro et le Tour de France, un exploit inédit depuis vingt-six ans. Le coureur slovène, qui aspire à "devenir le meilleur de tous les temps", pourrait frapper fort dès la première étape entre Venaria Reale et Turin et s'emparer ainsi immédiatement du maillot rose.

Publié le : 02/05/2024 - 19:53 Modifié le : 04/05/2024 - 14:34

Tadej Pogacar dans les pas de Marco Pantani. Le coureur slovène entame le Tour d' Italie , samedi 4 mai, avec l'ambition de remporter le Giro ainsi que le Tour de France - 42 étapes et 6 892 km en cumulé au total - la même année, performance que personne n'a réussi depuis le coureur italien en 1998.

Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault et Miguel Indurain ont réussi le doublé à deux reprises. Mais le cyclisme est devenu tellement compétitif que l'entreprise est aujourd'hui considérée comme quasi-impossible, et les rares qui s'y sont essayé, comme Alberto Contador ou Chris Froome, ont échoué.

"Le doublé Giro-Tour est très difficile à réaliser, prévient Indurain. Il faut savoir doser ses efforts", ce qui n'est pas exactement le point fort de Pogacar qui veut gagner toutes les courses auxquelles il prend part.

"Il faut être parfait pendant 21 jours, 20 ne suffisent pas. Une mauvaise journée peut tout changer", insiste l'Italien Vincenzo Nibali, vainqueur du Tour en 2014 et du Giro en 2013 et 2016, qui pointe notamment les conditions météo souvent difficiles sur le Giro.

Les récentes chutes qui ont décimé le peloton sont aussi venues rappeler que le cyclisme restait un sport particulièrement exposé aux aléas, comme Pogacar l'avait lui-même expérimenté à travers une fracture de la main lors de Liège-Bastogne-Liège en 2023.

"Il peut se passer tellement de choses en trois semaines. Il y aura peut-être moins de stress que sur le Tour de France mais je m'attends à du mauvais temps, des étapes difficiles et de longues ascensions", a souligné Pogacar prudent jeudi.

Une concurrence modeste sans Vingegaard

Mais les anciens s'accordent aussi à dire que si un coureur peut réussir le doublé, c'est bien Pogacar, le coureur le plus complet du monde, qui arrive avec une préparation millimétrée et respire la santé avec sept victoires en seulement dix jours de course en 2024, dont trois démonstrations aux Strade Bianche , au Tour de Catalogne et à Liège-Bastogne-Liège .

Les actions du Slovène sont même à la hausse depuis la grave chute de Jonas Vingegaard qui n'était pas prévu dans le Giro mais qui promettait d'être le favori pour un troisième sacre consécutif dans le Tour de France. Très amoché, le Danois n'est même pas sûr de participer à la Grande Boucle (29 juin-21 juillet) où on attend aussi Primoz Roglic et Remco Evenepoel.

Au Tour d'Italie, moins montagneux que d'habitude (7 000 m de dénivelé en moins qu'en 2023), Pogacar possède une marge importante sur une concurrence plus modeste.

En vérité, on ne voit pas qui pourrait l'inquiéter. Ben O'Connor, Geraint Thomas - deuxième l'an dernier -, Cian Uijtdebroeks et Romain Bardet comptent parmi les principaux outsiders mais ils évoluent un cran en-dessous, alors que deux autres leaders français, Christophe Laporte et Julian Alaphilippe, vont surtout chasser des étapes.

Pogacar est même tellement favori que certains le voient porter le maillot rose de bout en bout, comme Gianni Bugno en 1990 et Eddy Merckx en 1973, alors que la première étape accidentée samedi entre Venaria Reale et Turin est susceptible de lui convenir.

Pogacar "a le pedigree d'un GOAT"

Pogacar, lui, dit d'abord attendre dans quel état il sortira du Giro avant de vouloir penser au doublé alors que, mine de rien, il n'a plus remporté de grand Tour depuis son deuxième Tour de France en 2021.

Ce qui l'intéresse dans l'immédiat est surtout d'épingler une nouvelle épreuve à son tableau de chasse. "Je veux les cocher toutes", souligne le leader d'UAE qui compte déjà 70 victoires à seulement 25 ans et avoue aspirer à "devenir le meilleur de tous les temps".

En termes de palmarès, il est encore loin d'un Eddy Merckx (11 grands Tours, 19 Monuments, alors que lui en compte 2 et 6). Mais pour ses contemporains, sa domination et l'empreinte qu'il imprime sur son époque sont bien celles d'un cannibale, le surnom de la légende belge.

"Pour moi, Pogacar joue dans la même catégorie que Merckx", assure ainsi le Britannique Geraint Thomas, vainqueur du Tour en 2018, dans son podcast. "Son palmarès et sa manière de courir sont justes phénoménaux. Il a le pedigree d'un GOAT (Greatest Of All Time)".

Si la comparaison reste osée, un doublé de Pogacar sur le Giro et le Tour placerait la question au centre des débats pour les années à venir.

Le résumé de la semaine France 24 vous propose de revenir sur les actualités qui ont marqué la semaine

Emportez l'actualité internationale partout avec vous ! Téléchargez l'application France 24

• Tadej Pogacar
• Tour de France

Le contenu auquel vous tentez d'accéder n'existe pas ou n'est plus disponible.