Ben O'Connor: «It makes me proud.»
«Finishing eighth in the Vuelta a España makes me proud. It's my second top 10 finish in a Grand Tour in two years and shows consistency in my results.
I think I'll finish where I deserve to be. I had a difficult first week, but then things started to feel better. Yesterday's twentieth stage wasn't easy for me, I completely blew up, but I managed to hold on to my place and I'm happy about that.
These are good efforts and a new experience for the rest of my career.»[/su_quote] [su_quote cite=Julien Jurdie]
Julien Jurdie: «Encouraging for the future»
«Ben O'Connor finished this Vuelta a España in an impressive eighth place. We initially thought he could finish around the top five, but we were also aware of the difficulties he had experienced after withdrawing from the Tour de France. This is an encouraging result for the future, as it once again demonstrates his endurance and recovery skills, which are key for competing in the Grand Tours.
We saw the AG2R CITROËN team fight hard throughout these three weeks. Even though they sometimes lacked physical strength, there is nothing to complain about in terms of the temperament, character and commitment of our riders in their attempts to win a stage and protect Ben's place in the overall classification.
The number: 2
Finishing eighth overall in the Vuelta a España, Ben O'Connor secured his second top 10 finish in a Grand Tour after his fourth place in the 2021 Tour de France.
Ben O'Connor, with the Australian team, and Bob Jungels, with the Luxembourg team, will compete in the road race at the World Championships in Wollongong (25 September) in Australia.
This is also the case for Stan Dewulf with the Belgian national team.
News: Marc Sarreau finishes eighth in the Grand Prix de Fourmies
Marc Sarreau finished eighth in the Grand Prix de Fourmies. Ahead of the last two rounds of the French Cup, Clément Venturini and Marc Sarreau are third and sixth respectively in the individual standings.
The AG2R CITROËN team is third in the team classification.
