Australian surprise packet Ben O'Connor has savoured his first "super easy" day as a runaway Grand Tour race leader, losing only six seconds of his big advantage at La Vuelta a Espana.
O'Connor, suddenly having to come to terms with protecting a near five-minute lead in the Spanish Grand Tour after an amazing solo stage-six triumph on Thursday, found himself the hunted one just 24 hours later.
Yet the Subiaco rider handled the first examination from the Red Bull BORA Hansgrohe team of his nearest rival Primoz Roglic with aplomb on the 180.5km seventh stage from Archidona to Cordoba, which was won in a sprint finish by Belgian superstar Wout van Aert.