Australian Jack Haig is presently absolutely targeted on working for Bahrain Victorious teammate and GC contender Antonio Tiberi on the Vuelta a España. However that hasn’t stopped the 30-year-old from appreciating the newest success story for his nation within the Spanish Grand Tour, with compatriot Ben O’Connor seizing the crimson jersey in dramatic type on stage 6.
Given O’Connor’s almost five-minute benefit on GC over closest rival Primoz Roglič, Haig – Australia’s most up-to-date Vuelta podium finisher, claiming third in 2021- definitely charges O’Connor’s possibilities of going all the best way to Madrid in la roja. Or on the very least, Haig says, O’Connor may observe his profession path and make the ultimate prime three.
For his half, Haig nonetheless has GC targets, too. However as he instructed Cyclingnews on the stage 7 begin, the primary precedence for the Australian within the Vuelta is working for teammate Antonio Tiberi, higher positioned total and presently main the Finest Younger Rider’s classification.
“Every part’s going nicely, I did the Tour de France and after that I had somewhat little bit of time at residence. All of it handed fairly shortly, doing San Sebastian then coming right here,” Haig mentioned.
“However I am feeling good, I am having fun with racing in Spain. The Vuelta has at all times been good to me, so I am comfortable to be right here. Then we’ve got Antonio Tiberi, who appears to be going fairly nicely. So we’ll strive for the white jersey with him and hopefully place on GC, too.”
Tiberi is presently mendacity sixth total, at 5:29, however the rider who’s presently the discuss of the Vuelta a España proper now’s race chief O’Connor, Haig’s compatriot and near-neighbour of their European residences in Andorra, too.
“He is a very good rider, he is been fourth within the Tour and he is possibly having one of the best season of his profession. He is simply turn into a father as nicely, so maybe that is part of it, too,” Haig defined when requested how he noticed O’Connor as a racer.
“He completed fourth within the Giro d’Italia this 12 months and has bought many different good outcomes, so possibly some groups may need underestimated him right here. It might be fairly onerous to shift him from the crimson jersey and particularly the rostrum.”
As Haig defined, O’Connor’s long-distance assault and skill to realize six minutes on the pack took lots of people abruptly. However what enabled the Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale racer to do much more injury on stage 6 was the shortage of a response as soon as he had gone clear.
“I feel many guys within the peloton had been shocked at how huge the hole was on the end as a result of we weren’t going simple within the group,” Haig mentioned.
“Nevertheless, no one took management to make a concerted effort to scale back the hole, some groups got here via at sure moments however they by no means actually made an enormous effort.”
“So everyone was fairly shocked after they crossed the road and noticed the hole was six minutes. And now we’ll have to attend and see the way it performs out.”
As for his choices of attempting for a prime putting within the Vuelta GC like in 2021, Haig does not rule out his possibilities. However as he says “these targets within the background, and if it occurs, it occurs.”
“The principle intention is to assist Antonio,” Haig, presently sixteenth at 6:11, says. “He did a very good Giro, he is an enormous expertise, the crew has him on contract for a very long time, and so they wish to attempt to develop him as a lot as attainable. I am comfortable to assist work for him.”
Other than Bahrain Victorious’ choices, the million-dollar query for the Vuelta is how far O’Connor can go within the race lead, and as Haig observes wryly, “Primoz [Roglič] has a number of work to make this time up so so hopefully it turns into extra thrilling for you guys [journalists].”
“I might additionally say, although, that Ben has a very good likelihood now to win the Vuelta. Like I mentioned earlier than he isn’t a rider with no earlier outcomes, or somebody that hasn’t already confirmed he can do three weeks fairly strongly.”
“So I feel he is bought a powerful likelihood of taking the jersey [overall] and particularly now, getting on the ultimate podium.”
