Vuelta a Espana 2024: Ben O'Connor ‘disappointed’ after costly Stage 8 performance - 'There are better days to come'
Published 24/08/2024 at 18:45 GMT+1
Australia's Ben O'Connor admitted he was disappointed to lose 55 seconds of his Vuelta a Espana lead after the eighth stage of the race, but hopes he can perform better during the queen stage in familiar territory. The race now heads to the steep climbs of the Sierra Nevada where O'Connor has trained, and where the 28-year-old will look to fight off competition for the race lead.
'I was just a bit cooked, to be honest' - O'Connor disappointed with time lost to Roglic on Stage 8
Video credit: TNT Sports
Race leader Ben O'Connor (Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale) says he hopes there are "better days to come" after losing almost a minute of his advantage after the eighth stage of the 2024 Vuelta a Espana.
Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe rider Primoz Roglic stormed to victory on Stage 8, with the Slovenian beating Movistar's Enric Mas to the line. Mikel Landa (Soudal-QuickStep) finished 14 seconds back in third.
O'Connor crossed the line 45 seconds behind the stage winner, but a 10-second bonus for winning the stage meant Roglic shaved almost a minute off the Australian's advantage.
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"It was so hard, it was a really hard start," O'Connor told Eurosport. "I'm a bit disappointed with how it went at the end.
"I don't think we panicked at all. There was a lot of activity on the radio and I actually thought as a team that we were great, it felt like we had everything under control."
When asked about the time lost to his competitors, O'Connor delivered an honest response.
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'The opportunity was there' - Roglic celebrates second Vuelta stage win and time gained on O'Connor
Video credit: TNT Sports
"It's more than I wanted today," he said. "It's definitely not my absolute best day, that's for sure if you compare to the others and compared to yesterday as well. Hopefully there are better days to come.
"Tomorrow is very different. I don't mind these climbs at Sierra Nevada so hopefully I can have a good day and keep this red jersey on my shoulders."
'really positive attitude'
Eurosport pundits Matt Stephens and Nathan van Hooydonck complimented O'Connor's Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale team, and believe that he can have more success on the steep climbs of the Sierra Nevada, an area O'Connor has experience training in.
"When you know the climb, you know how to ride the climb," said van Hooydonck on The Breakaway.
"You know what is to come and I think that can be an advantage for Ben tomorrow."
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Stephens added: "He still seems pretty chipper. His team performed really well today, they have him in a good position. They've galvanised around Ben.
"He was quite pragmatic there and realistic - he's understandably disappointed, as I don't think anyone would have thought he would lose quite as much time but again, that's the situation.
"When you do have that strong team around you, that can lift you on roads that he is a bit more familiar with tomorrow.
"I think he still has a really positive attitude, he just wants to hold onto that red jersey until the rest day."
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