The Australian rider has made a great start as leader of the AG2R Citroën Team in 2021, finishing his first Tour de France just off the podium after winning the Tignes stage. Consistently well placed since the beginning of the year, Ben O’Connor will be competing in the Critérium du Dauphiné with the highest of ambitions… and why not that of succeeding fellow Aussie Richie Porte.

Photo by Plomi

Ben O’Connor, you have had a very successful start to the season with honourable finishes in all the stage races you have completed. What have you changed to become so consistent?
I am rather pleased with how I have been riding so far, but it could have been even better. For example, I was fifth in the Tour de Romandie but I felt that I could have finished on the podium and why not win if everything had gone better.
However, you can’t say that I have changed much about how I ride or my training. I’m just maturing, I’m still developing physically and my level is rising naturally. I am 26 years old and the years of hard work are starting to pay off. My body is adapting to the demands of these races and is responding better and better to very ambitious goals. I am also becoming more confident. I used to hope to become a general classification rider. Now I am a general classification rider.

Among the highlights of your 2022 season so far, there was that prestigious stage win in the Tour of Catalonia.
On Paris-Nice, I was both very proud and very disappointed. I had to pull out of the race because I got sick but there is no doubt that the form was there. So, when I arrived at the Volta a Catalunya, I wanted to get some revenge. And when I won the La Molina stage, I got the validation I was waiting for and that all the work I put in over the winter paid off. In terms of confidence, of course, it is one of the important days of this year.

„The days when climbers were inevitably bad on flat roads are over; I can also do well in time trials“

The Critérium du Dauphiné is a new opportunity to continue your progression. Have you drawn up a strategy?
The time has come to go for a podium in a major World Tour event. It would be my first and I know that it is now possible for me to win these types of races. I have some ideas in mind but, for example, I am not sure that it is necessary to push on the Sancy stage. Clearly it is a challenge but the last climb is not steep enough to make a big difference. On the other hand, the time trial will be crucial. I haven’t done many this year and I am eager to see where I stand in this respect. I believe that the days when climbers were inevitably bad on flat roads are over. I can also do well in time trials.

After your unanimously acclaimed performance in the 2021 Tour de France, you still said that you were „still far from the riding level of the best, I can’t even begin to think about it“. In hindsight, do you still feel the same way?
My Tour adventure last year was extraordinary and I couldn’t even begin to imagine what happened. To win a stage and finish fourth overall in Paris is something huge. And I did it! But of course, you always want to do better. That’s why you become an athlete and why you have to invest so much in this job. So I have changed my view compared to last year and I feel capable of aiming for the top this summer. It was also encouraging to see my friend Jai Hindley win the Giro. He is also from Perth and we have known each other for a long time. When I saw him win, I told myself I too can do it.
@ASO