Tour de France 2025: Ben O'Connor wins Queen stage with heroic solo ride over Col de la Loze
On a monster Queen stage 18 of the Tour de France, Aussie Ben O'Connor conquered the highest summit of the 2025 Tour de France to claim his second stage win in the race four years after his triumph at Tignes.
And what a brilliant ride it was.
Sixteen kilometres solo on the toughest stage of the race in the final week.
That's when many falter, but O'Connor has finally found his form in this year's race.
To get in the break is tough.
To force the pace and make it stick is hard but to be then joined by the heavyweights in Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard and be able to ride away from them is bloody serious.
His ferocious attack showed just how the young man from Western Australia has matured. Last year O'Connor was unstoppable.
But after a spectacular crash on day one, O'Connor has struggled to find his exceptional form.
'It's special to do it again here in the Tour de France,' an elated O'Connor told CODE Sports at the finish line.
'The last time in Tignes four years ago was a complete shock, but this time I got to enjoy it much more.
'I had a super day today, I was finally back to being me after struggling for the past 17 days. 'My knee is absolutely screwed now.
'But to finally get it done is great.'
O'Connor crosses the line after a brutal day in the Alps. Picture: AFP
O'Connor said he chased the win on day 10 but was ultimately left frustrated with Simon Yates taking the stage.
'Having that moment today is absolutely massive,' he said.
'You always want another win at the Tour and you can't get enough of these.
'I was afraid that behind me they would be dropping bombs and I would explode in the final kilometres. They closed the gap in the finale but I had enough.
'Once (Einer) Rubio was gone, I just didn't want to be caught by the Yellow Jersey group in the final 5km.
'When I heard it was still 3 minutes with 3 kilometres to go, it felt so good.
'On Glandon, I tried a lot, but it came back and I was feeling in the box.
'I saw Felix Gall and Primoz Roglic go and I thought: 'Just do it, get yourself there.'
O'Connor said that on Glandon, and then at the bottom of Madeleine, he was close to pulling the pin but these were days to be mentally resilient.
'I really needed self belief today, from myself and from the team,' O'Connor said.
It had been a successful tour for Australia's Jayco team with Mauro Schmid's second and Luke Plapp's rilliant time trials.
But it needed a win. Team owner Gerry Ryan was overjoyed.
'The team have worked hard for this victory,' he said.
'Strong efforts and close finishes may show just how well we're going but winning a stage is very important. not just for our riders and sponsors, but for all our staff who work so hard.
'I will raise a glass to all of them tonight.'
Tadej Pogacar continues to hold the yellow jersey with three stages remaining. Picture: AFP
Jayco AlUla sports director Mat Hayman said: 'Ben came to our team after a great year.
'And then the frustration of early season challenges stopped him from delivering what we new he was capable of.
'But we believed in him and he came here to make himself noticed.
'Today he did that and it was a very impressive performance.'
Pogacar continues to head the Tour with a 4 minute 26 seconds lead over Vingegaard with three stages remaining.
* Former pro cyclist and veteran commentator John Trevorrow is on the ground in France, bringing expert insights and updates on the Aussie riders throughout the Tour for CODE Sports.
Originally published as Tour de France 2025: Ben O'Connor wins Queen stage with heroic solo ride over Col de la Loze
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
SBS Australia
an hour ago
- SBS Australia
Tour de France Femmes: Gigante's heartbreak as Ferrand-Prevot seals historic victory
Australia's Sarah Gigante was forced to settle for sixth place in the women's Tour de France as Pauline Ferrand-Prevot claimed victory for the hosts. Starting the day second in the GC, Gigante (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) lost ground on the Joux-Plane descent and finally finished the stage seventh. "It was two hours of pain, heartbreak and hope all in one," she said at the finish. Ferrand-Prevot's victory was never in doubt and she launched an attack to clinch the final stage and increase her overnight lead. The 33-year-old had put herself largely in control by winning Saturday's eighth and penultimate stage with an audacious solo breakaway on the last climb. That gave her an overnight lead of 2:37 seconds over Gigante and 3:18 over Demi Vollering. Sunday's ninth stage from Praz-sur-Arly to Chatel was a 124km trek featuring three big mountain climbs. But Ferrand-Prevot did not face any big attacks and instead launched one of her own with 6km left. The crowds cheered her all the way to the finish line and, moments later, the tears flowed as she lay on her back, exhausted but elated. Vollering was 20 seconds behind in second place and Kasia Niewiadoma followed in third place as they sprinted to the line. Earlier, Ferrand-Prevot was with Gigante, 24, and a few others when they tackled the mammoth climb up Col de Joux Plane — an 11.6km grind with a gradient of 8.5 per cent. Gigante is known to have trouble descending at speed and was dropped on the long downhill. She could not make up the time, especially with no teammates to help her, and lost her podium spot, finishing sixth overall, 6 minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner. "It was a super hard day, I was already feeling not so strong physically going up the Joux Plane," she said at the finish. "I was hoping to get away and have a head start before the downhill, but I was pretty much getting dropped by the top. "And then of course the descent was just so hard. It was a long day out." The other Australians to complete the Tour de France Femmes were Neve Bradbury (71st), Lauretta Hanson (75th), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (78th) and Emily Watts (114th). Having won Olympic gold in mountain biking and conquered the cobblestones of the Paris-Roubaix classic, Ferrand-Prevot added another line to her glittering CV with a Tour victory. The place to watch the 2025 Tour de France — live, free and exclusive — plus the fourth edition of the Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is right here on the SBS On Demand Hub .
Perth Now
2 hours ago
- Perth Now
Heartbreak for Gigante as Tour challenge fades
Australia's Sarah Gigante was forced to settle for sixth place in the women's Tour de France as Pauline Ferrand-Prevot claimed victory for the hosts. Starting the day second in the GC, Gigante (AG Insurance - Soudal Team) lost ground on the Joux-Plane descent and finally finished the stage seventh. "It was two hours of pain, heartbreak and hope all in one," she said at the finish. Ferrand-Prevot's victory was never in doubt and she launched an attack to clinch the final stage and increase her overnight lead. The 33-year-old had put herself largely in control by winning Saturday's eighth and penultimate stage with an audacious solo breakaway on the last climb. That gave her an overnight lead of 2:37 seconds over Gigante and 3:18 over Demi Vollering. Sunday's ninth stage from Praz-sur-Arly to Chatel was a 124km trek featuring three big mountain climbs. But Ferrand-Prevot did not face any big attacks and instead launched one of her own with 6km left. The crowds cheered her all the way to the finish line and, moments later, the tears flowed as she lay on her back, exhausted but elated. Vollering was 20 seconds behind in second place and Kasia Niewiadoma followed in third place as they sprinted to the line. Earlier, Ferrand-Prevot was with Gigante, 24, and a few others when they tackled the mammoth climb up Col de Joux Plane - an 11.6km grind with a gradient of 8.5%. Gigante is known to have trouble descending at speed and was dropped on the long downhill. She could not make up the time, especially with no teammates to help her, and lost her podium spot, finishing sixth overall, 6 minutes and 40 seconds behind the winner. "It was a super hard day, I was already feeling not so strong physically going up the Joux Plane," she said at the finish. "I was hoping to get away and have a head start before the downhill, but I was pretty much getting dropped by the top. "And then of course the descent was just so hard. It was a long day out." The other Australians to complete the Tour de France Femmes were Neve Bradbury (71st), Lauretta Hanson (75th), Ruby Roseman-Gannon (78th) and Emily Watts (114th). Having won Olympic gold in mountain biking and conquered the cobblestones of the Paris-Roubaix classic, Ferrand-Prevot added another line to her glittering CV with a Tour victory. With agencies
Herald Sun
7 hours ago
- Herald Sun
2025 Basketball SA District Finals live stream: Youth and Reserves prelim finals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Basketball Live Stream. Followed categories will be added to My News. It's last chance saloon for South Australia's top ballers as they shoot for a grand final opportunity in the BSA District and Youth League preliminary finals. All four finals from the Under-21/23 and Reserves divisions will be exclusively live streamed on KommunityTV on Tuesday night. WATCH LAST WEEK'S MAJOR AND MINOR SEMI-FINALS WATCH THE JUNIOR DISTRICT LEAGUE FINALS ACTION A Jack Turnbull-led Sturt Sabres will be searching for answers in the Reserves Men preliminary final as they aim to bounce back to form against Central District Lions. The Lions will go into the contest with plenty of confidence after they beat their rivals by seven points the last time the two sides faced off mid-season. The high-flying Forestville Eagles await the winner in next week's grand final. Finally the West Adelaide Bearcats, who were stunned by the Eagles in last week's semi-finals, will need to regroup quickly against a hungry Sturt Sabres side. The Bearcats reserves women features a stacked line-up of talented playmakers, but they were left floored by an attack led by U18 SA Metro captain Olivia Tredrea and her sister Jemma. The Sabres feature their own impressive line-up led by gun shooter Chelsea Portus, and will be confident they can spring a second shock in as many weeks to book a grand final spot. South Adelaide Panthers Under-21 men will look to regroup after giving up a nine-point first-quarter lead in last week's qualifying final against Central District Lions. The Panthers, who have plenty of talent across the floor, will take on a Norwood Flames side flying high after notching triple figures in the elimination final. The Flames will be led by the exciting Ezeikiel Emnace who caught fire with 30 points last week. The same two sides will battle in the earlier clash on Court 4 with the Norwood Flames taking on the Panthers in the Under-23 women's preliminary final. The Panthers will have all the momentum after holding on for a 14-point win in last week's elimination final, while the Flames fell three shots away from the grand final. The two sides haven't met in more than a month, but the Flames got the better of their rivals on that occasion thanks largely to a Lucy Wootton masterclass. Originally published as 2025 Basketball SA District Finals live stream: Youth and Reserves prelim finals
