Ben O'Connor has been left in dreamland, capping his wonderful season with a silver medal in the men's road race that has thrust Australian cycling to the top of the world championship medal table in Zurich.
The 28-year-old from Subiaco, who could hardly credit finishing runner-up at the recent Vuelta a Espana after one of the finest grand tours ever ridden by an Australian, this time came second behind the matchless Tadej Pogacar in the season's biggest one-day race on Sunday.
It came four days after he had joined Jay Vine, Michael Matthews, Grace Brown, Brodie Chapman and Ruby Roseman-Gannon to strike gold in the time trial mixed relay.