'It wasn't a day for GC guys to go for it' – Ben O'Connor calm and in control at Vuelta a España

The overall Vuelta a España leader, Team Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale's Ben O'Connor
The overall Vuelta a España leader, Team Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale's Ben O'Connor (Image credit: Getty Images)

The snapshot provided by the final climb can sometimes offer a misleading overview of the day's racing. However, there was nothing deceptive about the picture painted by the Alto de Mougás on stage 10 of the Vuelta a España. In so far as possible in a race of this intensity, Ben O'Connor enjoyed a relatively comfortable day in the red jersey of race leader.

It helped, of course, that the Vuelta's long transfer north to Galicia brought with it a hefty drop in temperature. After the mercury had climbed above 40°C amid the parched terrain of Andalusia last week, the air was mercifully cooler as the peloton navigated the verdant peaks of the Rías Baixas on Tuesday – even if, like O'Connor's apparent ease on the final climb, it's all relative.

Barry Ryan
Head of Features

Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.