Ben O’Connor proved his Tour de France potential when he finished fourth overall and won a stage in 2021. This year’s race has been far less successful and far more difficult but he enjoyed a day out front on Friday, racing and sprinting against some of the best rouleurs in the business.
O’Connor abandoned plans to fight for the podium in the opening week of the Tour, unable to pinpoint what happened to the promising form he had in the lead-up. He embraced alternative challenges that followed, including riding for new GC leader Felix Gall, in the breakaway, who won the queen stage to Courchevel, and after a third place on stage 10 behind Mohoric’s teammate Pello Bilbao and Georg Zimmerman (Intermarche-Circus-Wanty).
