The Final stage of Critérium du Dauphiné was won by Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard of Jumbo Visma, but this did not make Ben O’Connor short of high spirit. The athlete wanted to win a podium on a world tour, and he has done so through his consistent hard work.
In the Tour de France last year, the 26-year-old stood fourth, but on Saturday he outdid everyone else as he climbed to the finishing point. The Australian is super proud to fall with the likes of Roglic and Vingegaard as he stood on the podium beside them:
I can be super proud of this
Vingegaard stood second in the last year’s tour, while Roglic is a three-time Vuelta winner. O’Conner says that to be able to stand on the podium with them is proof of his efforts:
Jonas was second in the Tour last year, Primož has won the Vuelta three times and pretty much every other stage race. It just means you’re there fighting with the best guys, so I can be really proud today
O’conner was the only rider not wearing Jumbo Visma’s jersey up the climb. Vingegaard dashed with mighty speed, but O’Conner also sprinted to keep up with him. With just 5 km left to the finishing line, The Australian gave the Jumbo Visma riders a tough match and crossed the final line with just 15 seconds down.
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Ben explained the happenings in his own words:
I tried to see if I could get back, but we just stayed the same distance. I thought I might get back to them, I still had legs, never exploded, I just couldn’t go with the first acceleration
Nonetheless, O’Conner’s performance at the Dauphiné authenticates that he is moving in the right direction with his career. He was short of contract offers, but he joined AG2R the last season. It all worked out well for him since he stood 7th, 6th, and 5th at Rita Del Sol, Volta a Catalunya, and Tour de Romandie respectively. And now he has landed the 3rd spot at Critérium du Dauphiné. He now wishes to be a part of The Tour now without tiring himself:
I just need to get to the Tour now, not get too tired beforehand, and hopefully not having too many problems in the Tour
🇫🇷 @dauphine
🎙 @ben_oconnor95 : “That’s something we can be proud of all together.”#AG2RCITROËNTEAM #RoulonsAutrement #RideDifferently – © @YvesPerretMedia pic.twitter.com/hD9KiGgE5k
— AG2R CITROËN TEAM (@AG2RCITROENTEAM) June 12, 2022
Ben O’Conner was all smiling on the podium since he knows he has given his best and the only journey left now is upward and forwards:
It’s kind of clear, I’m moving really well
Also Read: Grace Brown Wins Her First World Women Tour’s Stage
Featured Image Via YouTube/ Cycling Pro Net
