A year after he blew the Vuelta a España apart with a gutsy long-distance break that netted him two weeks in the lead and a final podium place in Madrid, Ben O'Connor has confirmed that he is back in the running for the Vuelta overall again.
A strong ride on stage 2 to Limone Piemonte, O'Connor remained well within the group of main favourites, lying 13th at 16 seconds behind leader Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike).
The Jayco-AIUla leader explained to reporters at the stage 3 start that after his Tour de France GC bid failed to materialise as he would have liked - in no small part due to a crash in the first week, although O'Connor then amply compensated by winning the toughest mountain stage of the race on the Col de la Loze - he'd be back in the hunt for the Vuelta overall.
However, O'Connor also said that he will not take part in the upcoming UCI Road World Championships, a year after being in the winning squad in the team time trial and taking silver in the elite men's road race.
O'Connor was guarded about why he won't be present in Rwanda, saying simply it was for "multiple reasons" and that he would instead focus on the end-of-season Italian Classics after the Vuelta. Other top elite men not taking part in the 2025 Worlds, who have confirmed their non-participation in recent days or weeks, include Jonas Vingegaard, Wout van Aert and Mathieu van der Poel.
In comparison, the 2024 Vuelta runner-up was much more willing to discuss his reasons for having another shot at the Spanish Grand Tour, a race where O'Connor produced a stunning two-week defence of the red jersey that only ended just two days before the finish in Madrid.
"I came here feeling pretty good after the Tour, I had a great time here in the Vuelta a España last year, I missed a little bit on the GC in the Tour last year, so it's time to get the GC done here," O'Connor explained.
Although it's a long way to Madrid, and the main mountain challenges are yet to come, O'Connor got off to an ideal start with a strong ride on Limone Piemonte, a punchy uphill Cat. 2 climb that he said was "not the best finish for me at all".
"But I was glad to be in more or less in position, it actually felt pretty sweet, in the end I'm not really explosive so it was about holding the wheels."
As he put it, the way he rode on Piemonte was "decent enough" and in the process it was "another stage ticked off". But he is more than aware, too, he said, that fighting for GC in a Grand Tour is a day-by-day process.
"It's been a good start, so as I said, it's about executing every single stage and then by the end hopefully you're still in the fight for it," he concluded.
The second week, in any case, is likely to be where the race could be won and lost, O'Connor concurred.
"The Angliru [stage 13], the Farrapona [stage 14], these days are super crucial. In the end it's about Watts per kilo, so you just have to go with it and go as fast as possible."
On the plus side, of course, when it comes to the Vuelta, having done so well in 2024, his confidence is that much higher for 2025.
"This is all a bit more normal because of the year gone by," he concluded. "Now I really know what I can do, so if anything in that way it's a bit easier."
The end result this time, though, will only be clear on September 14 in Madrid.
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