Jayco-AlUla have announced their squad for the Giro d'Italia, with Ben O'Connor leading the team's GC charge as he aims to improve on his fourth place at the 2024 race.
30-year-old O'Connor will be among a host of riders battling for the podium spots in Italy behind the favourite for the maglia rosa, Jonas Vingegaard.
Article continues below"This year will be my fifth Giro d’Italia, and I must say I always return with great pleasure. The Giro is a race I’m very fond of, also because it was the first Grand Tour of my career and where I won my first Grand Tour stage in 2020," O'Connor said.
"I also really like Italy; it’s a colourful place with plenty to see along the road from south to north. This year’s route is very balanced, with some key stages in the Alps and the one at the Blockhaus that are very important to focus on, and several tricky stages, such as those in the Marche and Liguria."
He heads to the Bulgarian Grande Partenza off the back of an eighth-place finish at the recent Tour of the Alps, while he finished 25th at his most recent race day at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
"I’m very satisfied with the team we’ll have at the Giro d’Italia because it’s complete and capable of having a chance at winning every stage," said Jayco-AlUla directeur sportif Steve Cummings.
"Pascal will be in charge of sprinting, supported in this by Bob’s lead-out and positioning, while Chris will be our director in the race. The 2026 route suits very well a balanced team like ours and I imagine a relatively tight GC until the third week, when the Alps will decide who will be the final winner."
Who will challenge Jonas Vingegaard at this year's Giro d'Italia? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Corsa Rosa. Enjoy unrivalled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
