Cycling Transfers: Ben O'Connor has had a turbulent year. After the somewhat disappointing 2023 season, the Australian achieved very good results in 2024. Now he is moving from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to Jayco AlUla. A good decision?
Ben O'Connor: Strong at the Giro & the Vuelta
One of the winners of the 2024 road cycling season is definitely Ben O'Connor. The Australian achieved good results from February to September. He had a successful start to the season when he won the one-day race Costa Calida in Spain and then finished second overall in the UAE Tours This was followed by fifth and second place respectively at Tyrrhenian – Adriatic and the Tour of the Alps, marriage with the Tour of Italy his first big highlight of the season was on the agenda. He can be absolutely satisfied with his fourth place overall. Despite his long season up to that point, he also competed in the Vuelta a Espana, where he had to accept a deficit early on. He used this to go on the offensive on the sixth stage. As part of a large breakaway group, he was able to generate a few minutes and finally secured the stage victory as a soloist. Until the finish in Madrid, the competition had difficulty making up this deficit. Only Primoz Roglic was able to do this. In the end, Ben O'Connor is happy with second place. The fact that Ben O'Connor then World Championship road race finishing as runner-up behind dominator Tadej Pogacar will crown his strong performance in the calendar year 2024.
️! ️ 2️⃣5️⃣&2️⃣6️⃣
“It's an idea I have always loved, to race as an Aussie and win on an Aussie team” – Ben O'Connor
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— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) August 1, 2024
Losers of the Netflix documentary
As strong as his 2024 was, the previous season was disappointing. His French team actually wanted to challenge him for the podium of the Tour de France. With 17th place, this goal was clearly missed. However, the damage to Ben O'Connor's image was much greater due to the Netflix documentary "In the main field". There, among other things, he was closely followed during the 2023 Tour de France. The Australian was portrayed as an uncomprehending rider who had great difficulty accepting criticism. Viewers were given the impression that he ignored instructions, rejected suggestions for improvement and that he was not a team player. In short: those responsible for the team seemed to be completely dissatisfied with Ben O'Connor. This makes his explosion in performance all the more surprising. Less surprising, however, is his impending move.
Will Ben O'Connor get more support?
Ben O'Connor will no longer play for the team in 2025 Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale He will join the Australian team Jayco AlUla. As dissatisfied as his French employer was with him, this change is almost a relief for him. Now the language barrier is gone and he can also hope for more support within the team. Because it was almost an affront how the Decathlon Ag2r La Mondiale team treated him during the Vuelta a Espana. As the man in red, Ben O'Connor had the best chance of winning the tour with his big lead. Instead of focusing everything on him, the team management gave other professionals - including the Austrian Felix Gall - free rein. Even with a little more help, Ben O'Connor probably wouldn't have been able to leave Pimoz Roglic behind, but such low appreciation is certainly not conducive to a rider's mindset. This makes his strong performances this year all the more impressive - after the weak year of 2023 and the dissatisfaction of the team management. Will he now manage to take the next step forward at home?