Thereabouts but not there. Ben O’Connor (AG2R Citroën) was his usual communicative self when he slowed down after the finish of stage 18 of the Vuelta a España at El Piornal to talk to media, but he pulled no punches while expressing thoughts that his solid performance could have been a more outstanding one.
Seventh in a small group of GC contenders and top climbers when he crossed the line 13 seconds behind stage winner Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep-AlphaVinyl), O’Connor had delivered some sizzling attacks late on the stage but all had come to naught.
While remaining in eighth place overall, his GC ambitions of a top ten finish are right on track for now but, as he told reporters, attacking too early had left him empty to go for a stage win when ultimately it counted. As Enric Mas (Movistar) also pointed out, the remorselessly steady slopes of the 10-kilometre ascent of El Piornal did few favours for climbers and, with the benefit of hindsight, O’Connor said he had lit the fuse too early.
“I’m a bit pissed off, to be honest, I rode a bit stupid today and could have fought for the wins, so I’m not so happy,” O’Connor said. “In the end, it was a bit tactical and I should have waited. I should have kept my bullets dry because I spent way too many.”
O’Connor was also keeping an eye on his overall position, and hoping to improve it. But young Dutchman Thymen Arensman (DSM), who lies in seventh place a spot ahead of O’Connor and whose Sierra Nevada win is testament to his climbing power, played it smart and never let the Australian out of his sight.
“It was obviously very difficult,” O’Connor said, “Arensman was playing a good game, just following me as much as he could. He did a good ride.”
A stage victory would have completed O’Connor’s series of Grand Tour mountain wins after victories in the Giro in 2020 and the Tour de France in 2021. When it was put to him that he looked strong on the climb, O’Connor instantly fired back that “that was why it was stupid. I could have waited and had a better chance in the final.”
As a hugely talented climber, O’Connor may find Saturday more to his liking, with four major categorised climbs and a tougher summit finish at Navacerrada. Certainly after Thursday, looking at the positives, the Australian has shown his form is anything but fading towards the end of the Vuelta, and after a race that has been ridden at such unremittingly high average speeds, that can only be encouraging.
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