It was two years ago in the first week of the Giro d’Italia when Ben O’Connor lost a minute on Tadej Pogačar at the race’s opening summit finish of Oropa. Even after he’d ridden all the way back down the climb, the Jayco-AlUla rider was still swearing loudly and audibly as he crossed the team bus paddock in dissatisfaction at his performance.
Fast forward to 2026, and even though O’Connor once again lost over a minute to stage winner and top favourite Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike) on the opening summit finish this edition, the Blockhaus, the feelings in his team, at least, on how he’d performed were overwhelmingly positive.
The reason was simple: whereas at Oropa, O’Connor had ‘done a Pellizzari’ and made the mistake of attempting to follow Pogačar when he attacked, on the much harder, longer Blockhaus with Vingegaard, he was far less impetuous.
O’Connor is now seventh overall, just 1:15 down on Vingegaard, who remains the main reference point for the GC long-term, as well as 4:32 behind current leader Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious), who is not expected to stay in the top spot overall beyond the Tuscany time trial next Tuesday.
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