The transfer window has just opened and Jayco-AlUla have been quick to confirm their new signing, with Ben O'Connor on board to spearhead the general classification charge for the Australian team with a Grand Tour podium target looming large.
Ben O'Connor, who has finished fourth overall at both the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France, is making the shift from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale after four seasons with the French team. He has committed to two years with the Australian squad, which will be losing its leading GC contender, Simon Yates, in 2025.
“To be honest, it’s really an idea I’ve always loved; to race as an Aussie and win on an Aussie team," said O'Connor in a media release from his 2025 and 2026 team. "I’m at a point now where I need to deliver, so it’ll be even more special to do it with an Australian set-up. To have the opportunity to race with mates at the top level is rare, and I am just so keen to get stuck in."
"My ambitions are to stay aggressive, consistent, and hopefully one day change these fourth-place overall finishes at Grand Tours into overall podium placings. Victories are just as important, and throwing the hands up in the air as soon as I can is high on the list."
O'Connor joined the WorldTour in 2017 but put his Grand Tour general classification potential on full display in 2021 when he shot up the overall ranks at the Tour de France with a victory on stage 9 and then held on to much of his advantage to finish just one spot shy of the podium. The 28-year-old has been chasing that next Grand Tour step since, and the Australian team thinks he may be able to find it with them.
“With Ben O’Connor we are obviously looking at someone who will fill in that general classification gap with Simon Yates moving on," said Jayco-AlUla general manager Brent Copeland. "We feel that O’Connor will fit into the team well, culture wise, which is really important for us."
Jayco-AlUla also has other overall hopes that it is working to develop for the future, with Luke Plapp among the team's key signings of last year and Chris Harper showing signs of a GC step up in the shorter tours and Eddie Dunbar delivering promising signs with his seventh at the Giro d'Italia last year, but the rider from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale looks ready to step up to the plate straight away.
"With the general classification, we believe he has room for improvement and with this team we will be able to get the best out of him. It is a very significant and important signing for us for 2025," said Copeland.
Before then, however, O'Connor will line up for the Australian team at the Olympic Games road race on Saturday August 3, being a late replacement for an injured Plapp. He will be racing alongside his soon-to-be trade teammate Michael Matthews as well as Israel-Premier Tech's Simon Clarke in Paris before likely heading to his final Grand Tour with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, La Vuelta a España.
Once the 2024 season is finished, it would seem likely that O'Connor will debut his new team kit at a long-awaited Australian National Championships in his home state, with the national title road race set to play out in Perth on January 12.
