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.
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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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