The pink jersey of the Vuelta a España was misplaced within the mists of Lagos de Covadonga, simply not in the way in which anyone anticipated. Ben O’Connor did simply sufficient to cling to first place total on stage 16, however a breakdown in communication on the end left the race organisation frantically attempting to find the Australian for the rostrum ceremony.
O’Connor’s fatigue was evident when he spilled throughout the road on the summit, 4:52 down on stage winner Marc Soler (UAE Group Emirates) however, crucially, slightly below a minute down on Primož Roglič (Crimson Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). That meant he would retain the pink jersey by 5 seconds, nevertheless it wasn’t instantly clear from O’Connor’s physique language if he was conscious of that truth.
Then once more, chasing shadows by means of rain and mist on the Vuelta’s most emblematic mountaintop tends to depart everyone, winners and losers alike, with a haunted type of a glance. It takes some time for sounds to solidify into phrases, and longer nonetheless for phrases to register as concrete info.
After O’Connor was helped right into a raincoat by a soigneur, he turned and descended again down the mountain. The rostrum was a kilometre or so from the end line, however O’Connor, it appeared, was by no means alerted to that truth. He rode on down the mountainside, previous the Lago de Enol and down the twisting, forested street that led in direction of the crew bus parking, some 14km away on the way in which to Cangas de Onís.
When O’Connor lastly received there, he was knowledgeable that his companies had been required all the way in which again up the mountain for the rostrum ceremony, doping management and press convention. O’Connor later confirmed that he knew he was nonetheless the race chief on the end line, however he merely hadn’t been given clear directions about the place he was alleged to go subsequent.
Beside the rostrum, Decathlon AG2R’s Michaële Cernela was liaising with Vuelta officers after establishing telephone contact with O’Connor. She confirmed that O’Connor was sitting in a crew automobile able to climb to Lagos de Covadonga as soon as once more, and two police motorcyclists had been dispatched to seek out the car and supply an escort.
The journey was sophisticated, nonetheless, because the tail finish of the bike race was nonetheless climbing Lagos de Covandonga. As soon as the final rider crossed the road, in the meantime, the multitudes who had gathered on the mountainside started to make their approach again down once more.
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It was near seven o’clock when the distant pressure of police sirens finally heralded O’Connor’s arrival. He emerged shortly afterwards from the passenger seat of a Decathlon automobile, nonetheless in his moist equipment, and he clambered onto the rostrum for a brisk and really belated ceremony earlier than the handful of spectators who had lingered even after Soler and the opposite jersey wearers had gone.
“I want to alter, I’m fucking freezing,” O’Connor referred to as out as he descended from the rostrum. A cabin was made obtainable as an impromptu dressing room earlier than he stood beneath a cover and talked reporters by means of the stage and its uncommon aftermath.
“I used to be informed to descend right down to the underside and I descended all the way in which right down to the underside, however then I used to be informed to return again up. That was a bit irritating to be trustworthy,” O’Connor mentioned. “I may positively do with a scorching bathe now, I’m completely freezing.”
Lagos de Covadonga
The stage itself should have appeared a distant reminiscence by that time. O’Connor was first distanced when Enric Mas accelerated with a shade beneath 7km remaining, finally bringing Roglič, Richard Carapaz and David Gaudu with him. Though O’Connor restricted his losses properly, it nonetheless appeared as if he would lose his jersey on the higher reaches of the climb. He caught resolutely to his process, nonetheless, and a late surge was sufficient to avoid wasting pink by 5 meagre seconds.
“Arduous,” was O’Connor’s succinct appraisal of the climb. “I didn’t have any energy [data] in the present day, so I had no concept what I used to be doing, however I felt really fairly robust to be trustworthy – however clearly not robust sufficient.”
Even so, O’Connor did sufficient to increase his grip on the pink jersey, and he paid tribute to the efforts of Valentin Paret-Peintre on the lengthy haul to Lagos de Covadonga, the place Mikel Landa was the primary of the GC males to go on the offensive with 9km to go.
“I used to be fairly worn on the end,” O’Connor mentioned. “Valentin was actually, actually robust in the present day, I’m grateful for him to be again like he was on the Giro. Everybody on our crew is tremendous proud, it’s been an expertise that we actually haven’t had earlier than. To have 11 days within the pink jersey already to date has been a fairly candy expertise for us all.”
There may be each likelihood O’Connor’s presence can be required for the rostrum ceremony in Santander on Wednesday afternoon too, although he struck a observe of resignation when requested about his prospects of heading off Roglič and firm all the way in which to Madrid.
“I’ve the pink jersey for tomorrow, so I’ll attempt to soak it up and luxuriate in it as a lot as I can as a result of I’m unsure it should final that lengthy,” O’Connor mentioned. “I’ll most likely preserve it tomorrow, possibly the day after. I’d be stunned on Friday. However in the long run, it’s been a fairly good spell within the pink jersey. Eleven days to date, so hopefully I can have it for a pair extra and attempt to maximise it to the most effective that I can.”
If O’Connor does retain pink, one can solely hope the pathway from end line to podium is clearly indicated.
“I’m not completely happy, I can inform you that,” he laughed when requested concerning the ordeal after the stage. “I’m attempting to placed on a courageous face, however internally I’m a bit pissed.”
Even so, the pink jersey isn’t misplaced simply but.
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