Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale administration have confirmed that there isn’t a present plan for Ben O’Connor to race the Tour de France this yr after he completed a powerful fourth total on the Giro d’Italia, with lead sports activities director Julian Jurdie saying the Australian was “not on the lengthy checklist proper now” for July.
Speaking in February, O’Connor made it clear that the Giro d’Italia could be his high Grand Tour precedence this yr. Despite some sickness in he third week, he completed fourth total in Rome, whereas Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale additionally gained two mountain stage wins with Valentin Paret-Peintre and Andrea Vendrame and the groups classification.
“In my eyes, fourth within the Giro could be very, excellent. And in all honesty, when you find yourself fourth total after three weeks, it means you need to be fourth,” Jurdie advised French web site cyclismactu.net, speaking the West Australian.
“He had a mechanical issues, no crashes both, so there are not any regrets. Ben did his race, tried to maintain up with one of the best, however he acquired slightly caught at occasions.”
The Decathlon crew for the Tour de France will likely be constructed Austrian Félix Gall, with the intention of repeating his high ten total from 2023, Jurdie stated together with hopefully a repeat of his stage win from final yr, as nicely. Sprinter Sam Bennett can also be anticipated to focus on the dash phases.
“There is at the moment a gaggle of twelve riders and so they all know that they’re on this checklist,” Jurdie stated.
“There continues to be time to refine the choice. Ben O’Connor? Currently, he’s not one of many twelve riders who seem on this preselection.
“It is now as much as us, the technical employees, to make choices, and we’re in common conferences to develop the eight riders for the Tour of France. We have made progress on sure factors, however we’re nonetheless on the lookout for benchmarks, significantly within the mountains, therefore the significance of the Dauphiné and the Tour de Suisse.”
Jurdie additionally mentioned the crew’s spectacular first half of the 2024 season, which has seen the crew declare 23 wins to date, greater than double its complete of 9 for 2023 and 11 for 2022.
He additionally agree with fellow French sports activities director Marc Madiot, talking in one other interview for a similar web site, that Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates) is the odds-on favorite for the upcoming Tour de France.
“To see the crew ranked quantity 2 within the UCI classification and with 23 victories on June 1 could be very distinctive,” Jurdie advised cyclismact.net.
“We should profit from that however hold our ft on the bottom. We’ve had good, constant, performances during the primary a part of the season.”
“Of course there’s a substantial amount of delight whenever you see that we’re working behind UAE Team Emirates, who’re untouchable, but in addition forward of some very large groups. It’s actually spectacular.”
Asked to clarify the explanations for this appreciable year-on-year hike in success, Jurdie put it all the way down to a number of causes, beginning with increase of each their new title sponsor, Decathlon, for 2024 and their switching to Van Rysel bikes.
“We knew the information in regards to the bikes was good, nevertheless it was solely on the bottom that we might affirm that, each at coaching camp and within the first races of the season,” Jurdie stated, with the bike’s high-level aerodynamics a key issue.
On high of that, he stated, in final yr’s coaching camp in December, discussions had arisen about the necessity to take the crew “out of its consolation zone and alter issues.”
There had additionally been important modifications in France Cyclisme, the administration firm that runs the crew, together with a brand new boss, Dominique Serieys and a restructured firm.
Jurdie insisted that discussions to maintain Valentin Paret-Peintre, a stage winner within the summit end of Bocca della Selva (Cusano Mutri) within the Giro, had been very nicely superior, regardless of the Frenchman at the moment being linked to Soudal-QuickStep for 2025.
He added that the outright winner of the corsa rosa, Tadej Pogačar was the primary GC man for July as nicely.
“It will likely be a extra intense wrestle than the battle for the maglia rosa, that’s for positive. I believe Pogačar will deal with his restoration time in June very nicely, he’ll be getting in there as [favourite] #1, and afterwards, there will likely be a shocking battle for yellow,” Jurdie predicted.
