Latest news with #BenOConnor
The Australian
a day ago
- Sport
- The Australian
Tour de France 2025: Full preview of 10 Australian riders including Ben O'Connor's GC bid
Ten Australians will be on the start line when the Tour de France starts this Saturday in Lille in northern France. Australian-owned Team Jayco AlUla have three Aussies in the mix this year – Ben O'Connor, Luke Plapp and Luke Durbridge. O'Connor notably has top-five general classification ambitions in his first Tour with his new team. He finished 4th in the Tour in 2021 for AG2R and then had a stellar season last year finishing 4th in the Giro and then a courageous second overall in the Vuelta a Espana. But his crowning moment was his brilliant second place to Slovenian champion Tadej Pogacar in the World Road Championship in Switzerland. It will be the first time that Team Jayco AlUla has had an Australian leading its general classification charge since its inception in 2012. O'Connor was quietly confident before the teams presentation on Thursday. 'We have a really versatile team and I've performed well in Grand Tours in the past so I'll do everything I can to get back to the top five, which I've been able to do in all three grand tours,' O'Connor said. Jayco team owner Gerry Ryan is excited at the prospects for his team in this his 14th lap of France. 'There is an amazing vibe that you feel when you rock up to a Tour de France, the excitement is palpable - the party atmosphere that continues on every night with nearly a million raucous fans each day,' he told CODE Sports. Tadej Pogacar and Team UAE teammates in Lille's city centre during the official teams presentation. Picture: AFP 'Cycling is a global sport and all the major events receive serious media attention but the Tour is on another level and it is crucial for our team, riders, staff and most of all - our partners. 'It is the biggest annual sporting event on the planet and the eyes of the world are watching. 'A staggering 750 million watch the Tour live each day which is just mind blowing.' Ryan said Jayco was a well balanced team led by O'Connor, who was capable of getting on the final podium in Paris in three weeks' time. 'The team will be all in for Dylan Groenewegen in stage one,' he said. 'The Dutch sprinter is in great form and it would be a brilliant way to start the tour with the first Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey). 'We also have some realistic opportunities for other stage wins with Luke Plapp and Mauro Schmid.' Ryan said Plapp had recovered well from the Giro d'Italia where his first ever Grand Tour stage win impressed the cycling world. Schmid, like Plapp, is riding his first Tour and a week ago won the Swiss Time Trial and Road Race championships. 'Then we have Luke Durbridge,' Ryan said. 'Durbo is riding his 11th Tour and he is the engine that keeps the team together.' Plapp celebrates his stage win at the 108th Giro d'Italia in May. Picture: Getty Jack Haig is another Australian with the ability to challenge for a top 10 in Paris. The boy from Bendigo, who finished third in the 2021 Vuelta, is capable but his team duties with Bahrain Victorious will make things more difficult. Teammate and fellow Aussie Rob Stannard is making his Tour debut and will be looking to get in a breakaway to reveal his all-round abilities. Nine-time grand tour stage winner Kaden Groves has been named by Alpecin-Deceuninck for his debut TdF. While capable of sprinting to a stage victory, he will be leading out his Belgian teammate Jasper Philipsen who will be chasing green jersey success. Jarrad Drizners is back in action with Lotto. The 26-year-old from Adelaide is riding his second Tour and will be chasing the breakaways. Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) is also riding his second tour and will be hoping to improve on his third place in stage 12 in 2021. Callum Scotson, who has ridden many strong Giros and Vueltas for Jayco AlUla, is set to ride his first Tour with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team. And this will be Michael Storer's 10th grand tour and second TdF. Riding for Tudor Pro Cycling, his win in this year's Tour de Alps and 10th in the Giro make him a realistic chance for a top 10 finish. * 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.
News.com.au
2 days ago
- Sport
- News.com.au
Tour de France 2025: Aussie cyclists rated as Groves, O'Connor, Plapp and more deliver big
The Tour de France may have finished in Paris yesterday under sodden skies but it was definitely a bright outlook for the Australian talent. Ten faced the starter three weeks ago in Lille and nine made it to Paris after Jack Haig crashed at the end of the first week. Kaden Groves was just fantastic on Saturday, claiming his maiden Tour de France victory in his debut Tour with a brilliant solo attack 16 kilometres out from the finish in Pontarlier. The Australian, who has won stages at the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, burst into tears after crossing the line, overwhelmed at claiming the victory. 'There's so much pressure at the Tour,' Groves said at the finish. 'Having won in the Giro and the Vuelta, all I'm asked is whether I'm good enough to win at the Tour. And now I've shown them.' Groves is a world-class sprinter but this win was one out of the ordinary as it was a pretty gnarly stage, and to ride away from some quality riders and win alone was special. Fellow Queenslander Harry Sweeny had attempted his own solo attack on the same stage. He opened a gap of 40 seconds before being reeled in, but was awarded the most combative prize. On the monster Queen stage 18, Aussie Ben O'Connor conquered the highest summit of the 2025 Tour de France to claim his first win for Jayco AlUla. And what a brilliant ride it was. A 16km solo on the toughest stage of the race in the final week. That's when many falter, but O'Connor 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 – Tour winner Tadej Pogacar and runner-up Jonas Vingegaard – and be able to ride away from them is bloody serious. His ferocious attack showed just how good the young man from Western Australia is. This was one of the most impressive stage victories ever by an Australian. Last year O'Connor was unstoppable, but after a spectacular crash on day one, he had struggled to find the exceptional form he is capable of. 'It's special to do it again here in the Tour de France,' an elated O'Connor said. 'Having that moment today is absolutely massive. You always want another win at the Tour and you can't get enough of these.' It had been a successful Tour for Jayco, with Mauro Schmid 's oh-so-close second and Luke Plapp 's brilliant time trials. But it needed a win and O'Connor delivered. Team owner Gerry Ryan was overjoyed with the win. 'The team have worked hard for this victory,' an excited Ryan said. 'But we needed a win. 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.' Plapp, riding his first Tour de France, was all smiles in Paris. 'It's the most brutal race but the most beautiful race,' he said. 'It's just the hardest race I've ever done. I just want to be in Paris every year at the end of July.' Michael Storer (Tudor Pro Cycling) rode a super aggressive Tour and whenever the roads rose up he seemed to be there. His third on Stage 6 was impressive. There is no doubt he will challenge again.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Tour de France stage 20: Groves completes Grand Tour trilogy, Pogacar reflects on ‘crazy' race, Jegat ghosts into top 10
Kaden Groves won a rain-soaked stage 20 at the Tour de France on Saturday, attacking from the break with 17 kilometres remaining and soloing to victory in Pontarlier. It completes a Grand Tour trilogy for the Australian, who has adds today's stage win to seven in the Vuelta a Espana and two in the Giro d'Italia. There are few days at a Tour de France which are more challenging than a medium mountain stage on the penultimate day. Throw in yet more bad weather and it was another brutally intense afternoon for everyone involved. It took almost 100 kilometres for the day's break to properly establish itself, and with names such as Tim Wellens, Matteo Jorgenson, Romain Gregoire, Matteo Trentin, Ewan Costiou, Kaden Groves, Pascal Eenkhoorn and Ivan Romeo involved, the peloton was more than happy to let them go up the road and fight for the win. Advertisement Jordan Jegat — who began the day 11th on GC — was also present, which spurred Jayco-Alula, the team of 10th-placed Ben O'Connor — into a brief response, albeit one that saw Mauro Schmid slide out on a descent. And that wasn't the last crash of the day. Winding roads combined with spells of torrential rain meant that several riders came down, with the worst of the incidents involving Romeo and Gregoire with around 20km to go. That effectively reduced the potential stage winner to one of three riders: Frank van den Broek, Jake Stewart and Groves. And when the Australian attacked with 17km remaining, hesitation from the other two proved fatal. Van den Broek tried to chase him down, and made minor inroads into Groves' lead, but ultimately it was too little, too late. Jacob Whitehead and Duncan Alexander analyse the penultimate stage. Find all of The Athletic's Tour de France coverage here. Or follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab. Kaden Groves was not meant to be in this position. The popular Australian has been a Grand Tour stage winner before, even winning the sprinters' jersey at the 2023 and 2024 Vuelta a Espana. But the 26-year-old was at the Tour in service of Alpecin-Deceuninck's two stars, Jasper Philipsen and Mathieu van der Poel, who each won one of the opening two stages. But neither is here now, Philipsen crashing out on stage three and Van der Poel withdrawing with pneumonia on the second rest day. This is Groves' team now, though a team which had seemed reluctant to use him as their main sprinter after finishing second to Jonathan Milan in Laval, and having prioritised Van der Poel and Jonas Rickaert's breakaway the day before. Yet this was a hugely impressive win from Groves. Typically specialising in uphill sprint finishes rather than long range attacks, Groves outlasted far superior climbers as he broke clear with 17km to go. Even with the engine of Frank van den Brouck chasing him down, Groves maintained his gap to win by 54 seconds. It was his first Tour stage win, and Alpecin's third of the race — major exposure to a team still searching for a title sponsor next year. 🏁 The final kilometer of a victory savored alone by Kaden Groves! 🏁 Le dernier kilomètre d'une victoire savourée en solitaire par Kaden Groves !#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 26, 2025 'We knew it was in his possibilities, but to be honest, I have to say I didn't really believe in it,' said his DS Christoph Roodhooft. 'But he's a very strong rider, not a pure sprinter, and that's something we all know.' 'We came here with some many plans with Mathieu and Jasper,' said Groves. 'And my own opportunities haven't all gone the right way. But I just had super legs today, and suffered all the way to the line.' The day's breakaway, when it eventually formed, was a perfect balance of profiles and skillsets. There were veterans, youngsters, rouleurs, puncheurs and sprinters who can climb — all motivated by the prize of a stage win at the Tour de France. UAE's Tim Wellens and Visma's Matteo Jorgenson seemed to spend much of the stage eyeing each other up, satellite representatives of a much bigger battle, albeit one riding under a truce today. EF Education-Easypost's Harry Sweeny, who has been a tireless domestique for Ben Healy in this Tour, built a solo lead after chasing down Jordan Jegat, but was reeled in as the rolling terrain and the weather turned the screw on everyone. 😱 A scare for @harry_sweeny but the Aussie is still all alone in the lead! 😱 Frayeur pour @harry_sweeny, mais l'Australien est toujours bien en tête !#TDF2025 — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 26, 2025 Ivan Romeo and Roman Gregoire then pushed on on the descent of the Côte de Longeville, but the Spanish champion misjudged a corner in the wet conditions, slamming into a kerb moments later. Gregoire — directly behind him — also went down, although was able to remount quickly. Romeo did not, although he did eventually finish the stage. That left three up front — Kaden Groves, Jake Stewart and Frank van den Broek. In a sapping race, on a day of attrition and in the sort of weather that no-one enjoys, they were the chosen survivors. But there could only be one winner; Groves will remember this stage fondly for the rest of his life, he will very much be in the minority. 🇨🇵 💛 #TDF2025 – Etapa 20 🏁 Apasionante jornada de media montaña en el corazón del macizo del Jura y donde, una vez más en este @LeTour, volvimos a meternos en fuga. 🤕 En el día de @ivanromeo_03 y con la lluvia también como protagonista. El piso mojado no tuvo piedad con el… — Movistar Team (@Movistar_Team) July 26, 2025 Duncan Alexander Midway through the climb of the category two Côte de Thésy, TNT commentator Matt White described Jordan Jegat as 'the most recognized climber in the group' as he pulled clear of the breakaway. While stylistically true, it felt jarring. Because while the 26-year-old Jegat has been in the upper reaches of general classification for much of the race, it feels like he's barely been seen. Could you pick him out of a identity parade? The Team TotalEnergies rider is yet to win a race as a professional, so this year's Tour has been by far the biggest month of the Frenchman's career. A top 25 finish in the stage 13 mountain time trial pushed him up to 11th in the GC — and that's where he's stayed, until today. As he pushed to join the breakaway in stage 20, rival teams were at least aware of his ranking within the race, with Team Picnic PostNL radioing Frank van den Broek and telling him to inform Jegat that his presence might be detrimental to the breakaway, as it would force Ben O'Connor's Jayco-Alulu team to chase it. A top 10 finish in the Tour de France is a career highlight for many pro riders, especially one riding for a second division team. Jegat distinguished himself on Thursday's queen stage, rejoining the group containing Tadej Pogacar and Jones Vingegaard on the valley road after the Col de la Madeleine and eventually finishing 20th up the Col de la Loze. Advertisement Such an effort almost broke him, though. Asked by L'Equipe whether he would continue his bid to break into the top 10 in stage 19, a haunted Jegat replied: 'I will not attack, I am traumatized.' He still managed a 14th-place finish in La Plagne, though. On stage 20 Jegat was back in the thick of the action again. If there were pleas for him to leave the breakaway he evidently ignored them, and although his attempt to attack solo mid-stage only lasted for a few kilometres, the growing gap to the peloton saw him jump above O'Connor into the top 10 in the virtual standings, which is where he stayed. Jegat now has an advantage of nearly two minutes on O'Connor, a margin he should be able to defend easily on Sunday. At the finish O'Connor made it clear he was frustrated with UAE's unwillingness to help his team chase the break, but really, why should Pogacar care about who finishes 10th? For the increasingly-noticed Jegat, though, it's huge. Duncan Alexander When Tadej Pogacar stood on the podium after overcoming his final mountain challenge, the yellow jersey looked visibly tired. 'I can't wait for it to be over,' he said. 'I don't feel super energised right now to think about Sunday's racing. It's a really hectic parcours, so I think it's going to be a tough one.' Pogacar wants a holiday — and so do his challengers. Vingegaard did not have the legs to take on the Slovenian on the climb to La Plagne, while no other rider is within 10 minutes on general classification. Visma did not explode the race on Friday — while on Saturday's stage to Pontarlier, the peloton was perfectly happy to let the break go after the intermediate sprint. 'Every year we say 'it's the hardest Tour ever', the hardest thing we've ever done, it's all so crazy, but honestly I know that this year was something on another level,' Pogacar said after the stage. 'There was maybe one day that we went a bit easier, if you look on the power files throughout the whole Tour, it's been really amazing and really tough. Even today we almost did all-out from start to finish, and I must say that even though it was one of the toughest ones I ever did, I enjoyed it, because I had good shape and good legs, and I'm really looking forward to the last day tomorrow. 'Monday I travel, Tuesday maybe I'm on the bike, you never know. If I feel good, I go a bit riding, stop for coffee, and enjoy summer at home.' The race leader was also asked about David Rozman, the INEOS soigneur who has left the Tour amid an investigation into historic links with a doping doctor. 'I don't know anything about this case. I heard what was going in the last few days with the situation. It's not nice to hear what is going on. I don't know him so well, he was in Sky and INEOS for quite a long time, but I don't know much about the situation so I can't say much.' Advertisement Next month, Pogacar was initially slated to compete in the Vuelta a Espana, but discussions have been taking place over whether he will compete in his second Grand Tour. After a busier spring than usual, this would be the time for rest. 'We will decide a couple of days after the Tour when everything is calm and heads are clear, then we make decisions for the next races. It's going to be tough to decide. Of course I would like to go to the Vuelta. Every year I do the Tour and I would like to do the Vuelta one day also, so we will see. UAE Team Emirates are likely to send Juan Ayuso as their team leader if Pogacar does not ride. Jacob Whitehead MISSION ACOMPLISHED ✅Jonathan Milan crossed the line with an 80-point lead in the green jersey classification. Providing he finishes tomorrow's stage he is guaranteed to win the green jersey 🇮🇹 MISSION ACCOMPLIE ✅Jonathan Milan a passé la ligne avec 80 points d'avance au… — Tour de France™ (@LeTour) July 26, 2025 The final stage of the Tour returns to the French capital after an Olympic-themed gap year in 2024, and the Paris games have influenced the 2025 edition too. Such was the success of the Montmartre climb in the Olympic road races, it has been added (three times) to the traditionally flat final stage of the Tour de France. Historically, the yellow jersey is not fought for on the last day, but with this new route… perhaps it might be. At the very least it may ensure we don't see a sprint finish. For more cycling, follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
O'Connor 'couldn't be more proud' of Stage 18 win
Australian cyclist Ben O'Connor reflects on his impressive Stage 18 victory, sharing why the Tour de France is a "the cruelest" bicycle race in the world and sharing what this win means for him, his team and his country.
Reuters
5 days ago
- Sport
- Reuters
O'Connor takes Tour stage as Vingegaard's plans to unseat Pogacar fizzle out
COURCHEVEL, France, July 24 (Reuters) - Ben O'Connor stormed to a sensational victory in Stage 18 of the Tour de France on Thursday, as Jonas Vingegaard's attempt to dethrone Tadej Pogacar imploded in spectacular fashion on the race's most brutal Alpine battleground. The Australian rider, eyes blazing with determination, launched a ferocious solo attack on the fearsome Col de la Loze and never looked back, thundering towards his second career Tour stage win, following his triumph in Tignes in 2021. "I felt much better today just from the start. I was pretty active, and I think probably the point where you realise you could have a shot was the top of the (Col de la) Madeleine when Jonas and Pogi came across, and we're still with them over the top of the summit," said O'Connor. Pogacar defended his crown with ice-cold precision, gaining 11 more seconds on Vingegaard and stretching his overall advantage to a commanding 4 minutes 26 seconds after taking second place. "Today was brutal. Maybe the hardest stage I've ever done in the Tour," admitted a drained Vingegaard after the finish. "We had a big plan, you saw it, but I couldn't take a second on Tadej. The Tour isn't over, still." Visma-Lease a Bike had come to the Alps with an all-in strategy for a stage lined with three monstrous climbs. But what could have been a bold masterstroke unravelled spectacularly. On the slopes of the 19.2 km Col de la Madeleine, Sepp Kuss's searing acceleration left the top contenders chasing shadows. With Matteo Jorgenson already up the road in a breakaway, Vingegaard launched his move 5 km from the summit, but Pogacar followed him with ease. Then came the puzzling twist. After a blistering descent, Vingegaard, who had said he was ready to risk his second place to try to win the Tour, suddenly eased up on the valley floor, inviting rivals to regroup and stripping his team's earlier aggression of any sting. Jorgenson, once the sacrificial pawn, dropped from the break and rejoined the group, only to be spat out again almost instantly. Up ahead, O'Connor sensed blood and struck with ruthless precision, leaving Einer Rubio gasping for air and balance with a savage attack 16 km from the line on the lung-busting 26.4-km Col de la Loze, soaring to 2,304 metres above sea level. Rubio cracked in his wake, and the general classification favourites' hesitation sealed the Australian's day of glory. Behind him, Visma-Lease a Bike flogged the pace but barely clawed back a second. Then, inside the final 2 km, Vingegaard made one last desperate thrust. Pogacar, seated and serene, absorbed it before unleashing a devastating counterpunch in the last 500 metres. In a blur of power, the Slovenian dropped Vingegaard, streaked past Rubio, and snatched a six-second bonus as he continued his march towards a fourth Tour title. German Florian Lipowitz kept his third place despite finishing behind Oscar Onley after his attempt to go solo in the final climb backfired. He still leads the British rider by 22 seconds going into the last mountain stage between Albertville and La Plagne.
