2024 Vuelta a España runner-up Ben O'Connor has abandoned the 2025 race during stage 13 to the Angliru.
The Jayco-AlUla leader was reportedly suffering the consequences of a crash that occurred during the stage to Larra Belagua earlier this week and has been forced to quit in the opening phases of the 202-kilometre stage, before it reaches the high mountains of Asturias later on Friday afternoon.
O'Connor lost over a quarter of an hour on stage 12 winner Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) yesterday and was lying 25th overall, well out of the GC battle, when he quit.
The winner of the Col de la Loze stage in the Tour de France, but unable to fight for the overall, as he had hoped, after a crash on the opening day, the Australian had then come into the Vuelta with serious GC ambitions.
Last year, the 29-year-old finished second overall in the Vuelta, his best GC result to date in a Grand Tour, after a spectacularly successful stage win in the first week and subsequent defence of the overall lead for the best part of a fortnight against lead favourite and eventual winner Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
O'Connor had already ruled himself out of a return to the World Championships this year, where he formed part of the winning TTT squad and then took second in the elite men's road race behind Slovenia's Tadej Pogačar.
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