After the opening days of this year's Vuelta a España, few would have bet against Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora Hansgrohe), a three-time winner of the race, winning stage four and claiming the red jersey.
However, a week on, and things seem far from certain. A decision to gift the race lead to someone else on stage six, in the hope that it would be simple to claim it back, backfired for Roglič and his team. Rather than a non-GC rider claiming red, it was taken by Ben O'Connor (Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale), a rider who has finished fourth at both the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the past. Alarm bells rang.
The Australian, in his last year with Decathlon before moving to Jayco-AlUla, isn't just slightly in the lead either. O'Connor has 3:53 on Roglič, and 4:32 on Richard Carapaz in third. That is a lot of time to claim back in the final 12 stages.
"I don't really feel that much pressure in the red jersey, to be honest," O'Connor said on Monday.
Denne historien er fra August 29, 2024-utgaven av Cycling Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 29, 2024-utgaven av Cycling Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
A Brompton for running riot in both town and country
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument
