Gerry Ryan gave Ben O’Connor a celebratory hug behind the UCI Road World Championship podium. The Jayco-AlUla group proprietor and long-time supporter of Australian biking was glad that O’Connor had received the silver medal within the males’s highway race, glad that Australia had topped the medal desk, and little doubt particularly glad that O’Connor would race for Jayco-AlUla in 2025.
The Perth-born rider topped an excellent 2024 season in Zurich. It included fourth place within the Giro d’Italia, a hard-fought second general within the Vuelta a Espana after two weeks within the chief’s jersey and a world title within the Mixed Relay time trial along with his Australian teammates. He is not going to race once more for Decathlon-AG2R, preferring to finish his season and relaxation up for the 2025 season.
O’Connor’s silver medal within the males’s highway race lifted Australia above Belgium within the last UCI Road World Championships medal desk. Grace Brown received gold within the girls’s time trial after which Australia received the Mixed Relay time trial. Neve Bradbury received the silver medal within the under-23 girls’s highway race.
To come out with second is a big, enormous end result for me and for the Aussie group,” O’Connor mentioned, his enormous silver medal hanging over his inexperienced and gold jersey.
‘This is for Aussie biking, not only for me’
Professional riders not often race with their nationwide group and are sometimes rivals all season but come collectively once they pull on the inexperienced and gold.
“Camaraderie is likely one of the traits within the nation,” O’Connor mentioned.
“We had loads of chats as a group for this race. There’s no egos, we have all completed outcomes throughout our careers, everyone knows the place we stand and our strengths and the best way to play it.”
O’Connor had a troublesome two weeks after ending the punishing Vuelta however his teammates motivated him.
“The boys had been knocking my head that I used to be good. I did not actually really feel like that at first,” he admitted.
Jay Vine was within the early assault and the opposite riders performed a ready sport when Pogačar surged away with 100km to go.
Michael Matthews was a protected rider however when he struggled, O’Connor was free to trip for himself. He dug deep to make the important thing choice on the climbs after which survived the massive assaults from Remco Evenepoel, Mathieu van der Poel and others.
Knowing that he was not a quick finisher, O’Connor needed to make a late assault.
“It’s one thing I’ve completed all my profession, it was excellent timing,” O’Connor defined calmly.
“I had loads of large, large strikes I needed to do early to shut gaps and so to get in entrance. The worst was when Remco and Mas had been attempting to get throughout Marc Hirschi. It was horrible however I survived it, so I had my likelihood. I discovered a fantastic second and if you get a fantastic second like that, you need to decide to it.”
“I used to be in good firm on the rostrum. I’ve completed effectively in races as effectively this yr, so it is a becoming podium that I’m actually pleased with. I’m a really glad man. Tadej has the rainbow jersey however second is a world-class one-day end result for me.”
