'Having a year off reminds you that the Tour is the big one' - Ben O'Connor ready for return to Tour de France GC battle

Ben O'Connor's smile is worth a thousand words. The Australian is back at the Tour de France, and it's clear to see he is excited and ambitious. His happiness and confidence are built on the foundations of his proven Grand Tour credentials.

The 29-year-old from Western Australia finished fourth in the 2024 Giro d'Italia and then second in the Vuelta a España after two weeks in the leader's red jersey. He left Decathlon AG2R for the more familiar Australia vibes of Jayco-AlUla for 2025 and is now also a father.

O'Connor is a very different person from when he finished fourth in the 2021 Tour de France. "You're no longer trying to prove yourself anymore. You're happy with how you are. I don't need to prove to someone that I need to perform in a Grand Tour because I've done it now," O'Connor told Cyclingnews and Cyclinguptodate on Friday in Lille.

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"I'm not saying it's then easy; you have to prove to people they're actually a decent bike rider. You are. So you go try to go through your process, get to the Grand Tour and execute it."

O'Connor has ten Grand Tours on his palmares but hasn't raced the Tour since 2023. "Having a year off reminds you that the Tour is the big one," he said.

"It's the place where I really want to perform again. I've performed well recently at the Giro and Vuelta, but it's been a while since I was able to perform super well at the Tour. That's a big thing for me. This is the biggest race around, and it's got that different flavour, that different hype. There's a different feel to any other race; it's exciting."

Enjoying the Aussie vibe at Jayco AlUla

O'Connor has still to win in the new purple Jayco-AlUla colours made by Maap. He was 14th at Paris-Nice and 14th at the Volta a Catalunya, as he chased his tail. "I just got sick in February, then it just kind of all rolled on together. I was sick for the season prep, and then I just couldn't click," he said.

"I've gone into races having an illness and even won a stage at Catalunya, but sometimes it hits you in a much different way than what you think. But I'm here ready now, at the time I really like: the summer."

O'Connor finished eighth overall at the recent Tour de Suisse, suffering after coming from an altitude training camp. Now he is fresh for the Tour.

Jayco-AlUla also has Dylan Groenwegen for the sprints, but O'Connor can count on Eddie Dunbar, Mauro Schmid, and rouleur riders like Australian national champion Luke Durbridge, as well as Luke Plapp, who was drafted into the team to replace Michael Matthews after his blood clot scare.

O'Connor is enjoying the familiar Aussie vibe at Jayco-AlUla, which is another reason for his frequent smile. "There's that familiarity and just this flavour, it's also about communication," he said,

"I can speak completely naturally rather than thinking about speaking in a certain way; it's fun not to have to hide that.

"Don't get me wrong, I had a fantastic experience with AG2R and the French guys, but it's charming when you come back to work with Aussies again. We don't live in Australia anymore, so you miss that Aussie flavour. When you get a taste of it when you go to work, it's nice."

Targeting the top five

The 2025 Tour de France has been described as a race of two parts: the flat and hilly stages across northern France, followed by the GC battle in the Pyrenees and Alps. O'Connor points out that even the flat stages are GC days due to the risks involved.

"The GC battle is also in the first week because it's going to be windy, so avoiding problems and being in position, which is so crucial, feel like probably 60% of the work. If it's a windy day, it's 100% being in position," he warned after seeing the latest forecast for the opening weeks in northern France.

"There's a couple tricky days in the first week, they're going to be fun, but it's the Tour France, there's not really much you can do about it."

O'Connor smiled, but not with enthusiasm, for the dangers of the first week. "It's a grimace smile," he said.

"I know I've some boys here who are excellent at that kind of work. We've got Dylan Groenwegen, Elmar Reinders, Luka Mezgec and Luke Durbridge. They're four excellent guys that know how to work in northern France. I know I can trust them."

O'Connor is not expecting any surprises when it comes to Pogačar's dominance of this year's Tour.

Pogačar may be on another planet, but O'Connor is aiming high in the hope of finishing on the podium or whatever his best, all-out, no-regrets performance can give him.

"You have to be realistic; in the end, Tadej rolls everyone in almost every single race. He's the best in the world; he's an absolute monster. There's not much you can do," he said of the Slovenian.

"You can be bold, but it's a calculated risk. But it can sometimes just take one thing to completely change your calculated risk into a massive mistake. It's a part of cycling that can make it so exciting."

O'Connor is good at taking calculated risks that give him some major results. Look at his stage wins in all three Grand Tours and his Vuelta performance. He will use that carefully calculated risk strategy to target the top five in this year's Tour.

"You always want to put a number on it, and I definitely want to be in that top 10, at the very least, fighting with the best guys," he said.

"If it ends up being fifth, that would be ideal, but sixth, seventh or eighth are OK if you've done your absolute best and executed. Not screwing up is the main thing. Making sure you're up there with the best boys is the key. That's what will give me pleasure in this Tour."

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