Ben O’Connor started Wednesday’s stage 4 of Paris-Nice well-placed in fourth overall and with a positive frame of mind after an impressive second for Jayco-AlUla in the team time trial, however the icy rain that caused a pause in the race may have also poured cold water over the Australian’s GC hopes at the eight-stage race.
O'Connor crossed the finish line at the top of La Loge des Gardes in 27th spot, 2:10 down on stage 4 winner João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates). That result sent him tumbling down the general classification 16 spots to 20th, and he is now sitting 2:30 down on new race leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike), who came second to Almeida on the stage.
