The red jersey of the Vuelta a España was lost in the mists of Lagos de Covadonga, just not in the way anybody anticipated. Ben O’Connor did just enough to cling to first place overall on stage 16, but a breakdown in communication at the finish left the race organisation frantically trying to locate the Australian for the podium ceremony.
O’Connor’s fatigue was evident when he spilled across the line at the summit, 4:52 down on stage winner Marc Soler (UAE Team Emirates) but, crucially, just under a minute down on Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). That meant he would retain the red jersey by five seconds, but it wasn’t immediately clear from O’Connor’s body language if he was aware of that fact.
