Ben O’Connor from Australia has accomplished an extraordinary feat in the world of cycling, claiming victories across all three Grand Tours with his latest win coming in stage six of the Vuelta a Espana. He celebrated a triumphant solo breakaway, leaving his competitors behind to secure the overall lead.
In the early stages of the race, O’Connor was part of a lead group, but decided to go it alone with 28 kilometres left. Seizing an opportunity for victory, the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale cyclist surged ahead, celebrating triumphantly as he finished first.
O’Connor remarked on his accomplishment, expressing admiration for the other triple Grand Tour champions whose ranks he now joins. “The racing was spectacular, I’ve always dreamt of joining the ranks of triple Grand Tour champions, and now I’m one of them”, he proclaimed.
Following O’Connor was Italian cyclist, Marco Frigo from Israel-Premier Tech, who secured the second place, while the third place went to Germany’s Florian Lipowitz from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.
Primoz Roglic, a three-time champion, began the day as the race leader but lost the top spot as well as the red jersey to O’Connor. Roglic finished with the main group, trailing O’Connor by six minutes and 31 seconds.
O’Connor now leads the overall standings, maintaining a four minute and 51 second lead over Roglic after covering the 185.5-km stage from Jerez de la Frontera to Yunquera. Portugal’s Joao Almeida is also chasing, currently eight seconds behind in third.
Embracing his position, O’Connor remarked on his delight at wearing the red jersey. “I know this is a rare opportunity and I’m determined to enjoy every second of it”, he expressed.
In terms of other contenders, Eddie Dunbar of Team Jayco Alula finished the stage in a tie for 31st place and currently stands at 33rd overall. Meanwhile, Darren Rafferty finished in 85th place and is 93rd overall.
Thestage began in an unconventional setting – a Carrefour supermarket. After maneuvering through the store’s aisles, the cyclists were met with a formidable category one climb just 60 kilometres into the race. Several attacks from the main group led to more than 30 riders breaking free; however, this group was slowly reduced to 13 riders maintaining a five-minute lead with 70 kilometres left to ride.
O’Connor prevailed over Gijs Leemreize on the second ascent, leaving the Dutch cyclist behind to secure the stage. This isn’t his first triumph; he also claimed victories at the 2020 Giro d’Italia and the 2021 Tour de France.
At this early phase of the race, Roglic and Red Bull seemed intent on preserving their strength. They did utilise Lipowitz in the break, however, they might regret underestimating and allowing O’Connor such a considerable lead. O’Connor, who ended up in fourth place in this year’s Giro and the 2021 Tour de France, entered the Vuelta aiming for podium standing. But having established such a commanding lead, his goals may now have adjusted upwards.
“How I perform in Cazorla and Granada will dictate, but this is a fantastic chance that I plan to relish to the fullest,” remarked O’Connor.
On Friday, the seventh stage of the race will be a 180.5km journey from Archidona to Cordoba.