Ben O'Connor (cyclist)

Ben O'Connor
O'Connor in 2016
Personal information
Full nameBen Alexander O'Connor
NicknameSuperBOC[1]
Born (1995-11-25) 25 November 1995 (age 28)
Subiaco, Western Australia, Australia
Height1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)
Weight67 kg (148 lb)
Team information
Current teamDecathlon–AG2R La Mondiale
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeClimber
Professional teams
2015Navitas-Satalyst Racing Team
2016Avanti IsoWhey Sports
2017–2020Team Dimension Data[2][3]
2021–2024AG2R Citroën Team
2025–Team Jayco–AlUla
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
1 individual stage (2021)
Giro d'Italia
1 individual stage (2020)
Vuelta a España
1 individual stage (2024)
Medal record
Men's road bicycle racing
Representing  Australia
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Zurich Team relay
Silver medal – second place 2024 Zurich Road race

Ben Alexander O'Connor (born 25 November 1995) is an Australian road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale.[4] Starting from 2025, O'Connor will ride for Team Jayco–AlUla, for an initial contract of 2 seasons.[5]

Cycling career

[edit]
O'Connor at the 2022 Tour de France

In May 2018, he was named in the startlist for the 2018 Giro d'Italia.[6] He was in 12th place on the general classification at the start of stage 19 but crashed during the stage breaking his collarbone. He then withdrew from the race.[7]

In 2019 he completed two Grand Tours, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.[8]

O'Connor winning silver at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships

O'Connor started the 2020 Giro d'Italia. He achieved his first Grand Tour stage win on stage 17 after finishing second on stage 16 the day before.[9][7] In October 2020, O'Connor signed a contract to join the AG2R Citroën Team for the 2021 season.[10]

O'Connor won stage nine of the 2021 Tour de France after getting in the breakaway and then riding solo for the last seventeen kilometres of the mountain stage. His victory elevated him to second in the general classification at the end of the stage.[11] He finished the Tour in fourth place overall.[12]

In 2024, O’Connor won stage six of that year’s edition of the Vuelta a España after going on a solo breakaway. His victory gave him a stage win in all three grand tours, and the opportunity to wear the red jersey as he took over a four-minute lead over the rest of the peloton. He wore the red jersey until stage 19 of the race, when he lost the lead to 3-time champion Primoz Roglic, but defended his second place in the podium until the end of the competition for his best ever result in a Grand Tour.[13]

O'Connor came second in the 2024 UCI World Championship.[14]

Major results

[edit]
2015
6th Time trial, Oceanian Under-23 Road Championships
2016
1st Overall New Zealand Cycle Classic
1st Stage 4
3rd Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships
3rd Overall Tour de Savoie Mont-Blanc
3rd Overall Tour de Taiwan
2017 (1 pro win)
5th Overall Tour of Austria
1st Stage 5
8th Overall Tour de Langkawi
2018 (1)
7th Overall Tour of the Alps
1st Young rider classification
1st Stage 3
10th Trofeo Matteotti
2019
6th Overall Tour of Austria
2020 (2)
1st Stage 17 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 4 Étoile de Bessèges
2021 (1)
4th Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 9
Combativity award Stage 9
4th Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge
5th Overall Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var
6th Overall Tour de Romandie
8th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
2022 (2)
1st Tour du Jura
3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
5th Overall Tour de Romandie
6th Overall Volta a Catalunya
1st Stage 3
6th Classic Grand Besançon Doubs
7th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
8th Overall Vuelta a España
2023
3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
5th Tour du Jura
6th Overall Tour Down Under
7th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
9th Overall Tour de Luxembourg
10th Tre Valli Varesine
2024 (3)
UCI Road World Championships
1st Team relay
2nd Road race
1st Vuelta a Murcia
2nd Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stage 6
Held after Stage 6–18
Combativity award Stage 6
2nd Overall UAE Tour
1st Stage 3
2nd Overall Tour of the Alps
4th Overall Giro d'Italia
5th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico

General classification results timeline

[edit]
Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
A pink jersey Giro d'Italia DNF 32 20 4
A yellow jersey Tour de France 4 DNF 17
A red jersey Vuelta a España 25 8 2
Major stage race general classification results
Race 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
Paris–Nice DNF 12 DNF
Tirreno–Adriatico 13 5
Volta a Catalunya 42 11 DNF NH 6 14
Tour of the Basque Country 23
Tour de Romandie 6 5
Critérium du Dauphiné 46 92 8 3 3
Tour de Suisse 13 NH
Legend
Did not compete
DNF Did not finish
NH Not Held

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Stage 4 - Vitoria-Gasteiz – Laguardia - Vuelta a España 2022". The Cycling Podcast. Retrieved 24 August 2022.
  2. ^ "Dimension Data finalise 2019 roster". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. ^ "NTT Pro Cycling Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  4. ^ "AG2R Citroën Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  5. ^ "A NEW ERA: Ben O'Connor to lead Team Jayco AlUla's general classification ambitions for 2025 & beyond". Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  6. ^ "2018: 101st Giro d'Italia: Start List". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  7. ^ a b "Tears and grit: Why Ben O'Connor's Giro stage win meant so much". CyclingTips. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  8. ^ "Ben O'Connor (2019 results)". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Aussie O'Connor roars to stage win at Giro". SBS Cycling Central. 22 October 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2020.
  10. ^ "Ben O'Connor joins the AG2R CITROEN TEAM". AG2R La Mondiale. 23 October 2020. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
  11. ^ "O'Connor jumps up to second overall with stage 9 win at the Tour de France". Cycling Tips. 4 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  12. ^ "O'Connor creates history with fourth at debut Tour de France". SBS Cycling Central. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  13. ^ "Official classifications of La Vuelta - Stage 6". www.lavuelta.es. Retrieved 23 August 2024.
  14. ^ https://www.cyclingnews.com/races/uci-road-world-championships-2024/elite-men-road-race/results/
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