Fresh from delivering the Australian highlight of the Tour de France with his solo triumph on its most testing stage, Ben O'Connor has now targeted another spectacular three weeks at La Vuelta a Espana as his follow-up.
The world championship silver medallist had endured a fairly subdued first year riding in the colours of Australian team Jayco AlUla until he lit up the 18th day of racing at his otherwise difficult Tour last month by launching a spectacular 15km solo attack on the fiendish Col de la Loze.
The triumph, his second at the Tour, was a reminder of just how brilliant the 29-year-old O'Connor can be on his best days, just as he was at last year's Vuelta when he won the sixth stage by almost four-and-a-half minutes to take the race leader's red jersey which he held for another 12 days.
O'Connor eventually finished runner-up - the best ever performance at the Vuelta by an Australian - and now he's in the mood for a repeat performance in the season's final Grand Tour in Spain.
"Last year, I had an amazing time leading the race for two weeks, wearing the red jersey, and it was a pretty special moment being on the podium," said O'Connor, who is currently among eight projected Australian starters in the race that begins on Saturday in the Italian venue of Turin.
"I'm coming back this year aiming for another great result and another great time.
"The route in general is a bit of a mixture with some easier stages, along with climbs that suit me quite well. There are some iconic stages like the Angliru, which I've never actually done before.
"It's one of the hardest climbs in the world, so I can tick that one off the list. Hopefully, we'll get to Madrid, and I can also be up there on GC myself."
O'Connor leads a parade of 10 Australians in the 80th edition of the Vuelta, a lineup that also includes former Giro d'Italia winner Jai Hindley and UAE Team Emirates climbing star Jay Vine. All those three should thrive on a course with 11 summit finishes, headed by the iconic Angliru in the second week.
In the absence of four-time winner Primoz Roglic and Tour champ Tadej Pogacar, who's focusing his attention on preparing for the world championships, Jonas Vingegaard is favourite to take the title, a third Grand Tour to go with his two Tour victories.
Australians riding at the 2025 Vuelta a Espana
Ben O'Connor, Kelland O'Brien, Chris Harper (Jayco AlUla); Jack Haig (Bahrain-Victorious); Callum Scotson (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale); Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates-XRG); Damien Howson (Q36.5 Pro Cycling); Jai Hindley (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe); Chris Hamilton, Patrick Eddy (Team Picnic PostNL).
