Ben O'Connor moves from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale to Eddie Dunbar's Team Jayco AlUla as a Grand Tour leader and has now said the Giro d'Italia is the race he wants to tackle most as it suits him best, though he also wants to go back to the Tour de France.
O'Connor finished 2nd in La Vuelta this year after leading the race for 13 stages and winning stage 6, when he took the red jersey. He was also 4th in the Giro this year and finished 4th overall at the Tour de France in 2021.
Having had such an excellent season this year - including silver in the road race at the Zurich Worlds - O'Connor should get his pick of Grand Tour leadership chances with Jayco AlUla next year. And that may partially dictate where Dunbar's chances will come.
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However, the Irishman took two stage wins at the Vuelta this year and was 7th in the Giro last year, meaning he has emerged as a real contender in recent years.
"Everything has yet to be decided, but I would like to return to the Tour de France," O'Connor told Italian publication Bici.Pro. "If I could also include the Giro or the Vuelta, that wouldn't be a problem, but you don't necessarily have to ride two Grand Tours.
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"I've always liked the Giro-Vuelta combination, but I'm not sure about the Tour-Vuelta combination yet. The Giro-Tour combination, on the other hand, could work well, because the Giro is the big one that might follow my characteristics best."
O'Connor also said while the last four years at Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale was "a completely new experience" it will be "special to be part of a team from my own country".
"It gives me a lot of reassurance," he said. "Being the leader of Jayco AlUla in a Grand Tour will be a huge motivation to raise the bar again."
O'Connor, now aged 28 years, has signed a two-year deal with Team Jayco AlUla and replaces Simon Yates as its clear Grand Tour leader, as Yates has signed for Visma-Lease a Bike.
Dunbar (28) now has two seasons under his belt at the Australian team, with 2025 set to be the last year of his current contract with the squad.
