Ben O’Connor took the cycling world by surprise today with a powerful solo breakaway on stage 6 of the Vuelta a España, not only securing a stage win but also catapulting himself into the overall race lead. The 28-year-old Australian, riding for Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale, attacked with 26km to go on the 185.5km stage from Jerez de la Frontera to Yunquera, crossing the line over six minutes ahead of the peloton.
Reflecting on his victory, O’Connor expressed his pride in joining the ranks of riders who have won stages in all three Grand Tours. “I’m proud to put my name there on that list, and I guess I have the red jersey as well—so it’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” he said.
O’Connor had initially joined a large breakaway group after a fast start, with the peloton allowing them to gain a substantial lead. Primož Roglič, the race leader at the start of the day, was content to let the break go, as his team seemed eager to relinquish the race lead temporarily. However, the move turned out to be more decisive than anticipated.
O’Connor described the chaotic nature of the race and his determination to seize the opportunity. “I felt a little bit in my own world today. When the group of 30 went, I was a bit disappointed because I thought it was a pretty good opportunity,” he admitted. “When the race opened up again, I kind of just went for it. I felt today was just a day to seize my opportunity, and I just laid it all out there.”
As the race progressed, O’Connor’s breakaway companion, Gijs Leemreize, was dropped on the Puerto Martinez climb, leaving O’Connor to press on alone. Despite a crash by Marco Frigo during the descent, O’Connor continued to extend his lead, eventually crossing the line 6:31 ahead of the chasing peloton, which included Roglič.
O’Connor’s audacious move now sees him leading the general classification by 4:51 over Roglič, with João Almeida in third, 4:59 behind. The time bonus from the stage win and an intermediate sprint added to his advantage, making him a serious contender for the overall victory.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s sports director, Patxi Vila, admitted that the team had underestimated O’Connor’s strength, leading to the significant time loss. “Things didn’t play out as we wanted,” Vila conceded. “The start was really fast-moving, and the break of the day was a really strong one. Lipo [Florian Lipowitz] was in there, and we thought he would have no problem staying with Ben and we’d get another option on GC.”
However, Lipowitz was unable to match O’Connor’s pace when the Australian attacked, and the Slovenian’s grip on the race began to slip. Vila acknowledged the miscalculation, saying, “What O’Connor did was incredible. I’ve rarely seen that.”
Primož Roglič, who was less forthcoming with his thoughts, remarked, “We can’t control everything. The plan was to let a break go… Florian did a nice job, it was tricky with slippery descents so I can be happy about that.” Yet, when asked about O’Connor’s potential as a GC threat, Roglič was brief, saying, “We will see at the end of the race.”
O’Connor himself remains grounded despite his newfound race lead. “Maybe. It’s a good gap to have, and I’m not so bad on long climbs,” he said when asked about his chances of winning the Vuelta. “It’s going to be tricky, I didn’t expect to be leading this race and it’ll be a new experience for this team. So I’m not thinking any further than that. For now I’m going to enjoy this moment.”
2024 Vuelta a Espana Stage 6 result
Results powered by FirstCycling.com
Main photo credit: Unipublic/Sprint Cycling Agency
