Conqueror, per the thread's name...conquistador in this Vuelta, no matter what happens, what a blast for Ben! Once more...
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He fought valiantly, just imploded in the last bit. Unfortunate but he rode this one smart and gave it all.
One more mountain day to survive. Seize that podium Ben!
One more mountain day to survive. Seize that podium Ben!
Solid racing today. Hopefully he can consolidate 2nd place.
Yeah, pretty great ride today. And the entire race. I think he has been a little too optimistic at times throughout the race when he tried to follow wheels but ultimately that will likely not cost him anything, as I think Roglic was always going to peg those five minutes back. Second in the race seems very, very likely now. Big result!
In some ways he maintained his form through week 3 better than Mas and Carapaz did. Particularly the latter because we know he would have kept attacking if he had the legs.
He was given a big head start to work with, too. Mas and Carapaz ended up with the burden of not helping Roglic in the process.
Gall was great but Bora had horses to keep things close and controlled, drafting and bike swap still couldn't contain Roglic. O'Connor rode bold in red and has raced great without it.. Only hope his TT is good enough.. Definitely impressive..
After yesterday, I expected O'Conner to possibility drop out of podium contention and yet now I think he has a big shot at finishing this Vuelta in 2nd in a very hard raced grand tour and in tough conditions some days. Even with the big head start he earned on stage 6 this has been way more impressive than his 4th at the weaker Giro. The pressures of holding the red jersey for 13 days are not insignificant.
Its a tough ask but I hope he could beat Mas in the TT as that would really cap off this race for him. Today's result proved he has good recovery. He should be able to comfortably stave off Carapaz to secure a podium finish.
Today he also validated his team leadership ahead of Felix Gall. Decathlon leadership will be very happy with BOC's parting contribution as he leaves for Jayco AlUla. 13 days in red and a likely grand tour podium finish. Jayco will also be pleased their new recruit comes with a solid platform to deliver grand tour success to their sponsors.
Its a tough ask but I hope he could beat Mas in the TT as that would really cap off this race for him. Today's result proved he has good recovery. He should be able to comfortably stave off Carapaz to secure a podium finish.
Today he also validated his team leadership ahead of Felix Gall. Decathlon leadership will be very happy with BOC's parting contribution as he leaves for Jayco AlUla. 13 days in red and a likely grand tour podium finish. Jayco will also be pleased their new recruit comes with a solid platform to deliver grand tour success to their sponsors.
Yes, today's stage suited him better but all expectations were that more time would be bled. Fantastic ride and 2nd would be a huge result.
Well deserved 2nd place on the podium. Congrats.
Yep, he did it. Bravo Ben! Courage paid off. He fought for every second.
Great ride today to cap off a huge Vuelta. Can hold his head high.
He made a few small missteps but these would never have saved him from Roglic, so in think he had achieved as much as he could here. Great ride for second and smoked Mas and Carapaz in the TT. He has to be proud of this performance, great way to leave the team with a stage and a 2nd place in GC.
Happy for O'Connor. 4th places were getting boring. Just ask Michael Matthews about 4th place finishes..........I thought he could hang on in the TT and his TT has improved in the last year or so. Roglic dodged a bullet with the sickness going through the Bora team but he was a deserved winner and kept chipping away at O'Connor's lead. Now O'Connor heads off to the Jayco team with a bit more confidence.
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He was eligible for parole after 2 years and was released in early 2022, no idea what he’s up to now but hopefully he’s sorted his issues out.
Likely a bit salty, win being in reach, still a great achievement. Especially toward the end and keeping the second position while under constant attack. Congrats.
I thought he was suited on this type of course and second was an outstanding result.
O’Connor had a great bounce back year. Hopefully he can continue it into next year.
Did not see this best of the rest result coming. Chapeau!
He attacked and nobody followed. Once again getting the most out of the disrespect of his peers.
Really glad to see today. But we should have expected a good ride. History is littered with riders who rode a strong Vuelta then went on to a great result in the worlds. The timing is often optimal to take advantage of the form boost. But I guess BoC had to be strong to get a gap on riders like Remco and MVdP. By the time they realized what was unfolding it was too late!
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