Ben O'Connor
«I felt like I could win the stage.»
«I felt like I was alone in the world today. When the first group left, I was a little disappointed not to be there because it was a good opportunity. But when the race restarted, I slipped into the breakaway. I felt it was a day full of great opportunities, and I had the feeling from the start that I could win the stage. It was special to dominate like that, and I loved every moment of it. Before La Vuelta, I looked at the list of three Grand Tour winners, and I'm proud to add my name to that list. Wearing this red jersey is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I'm going to savour every moment of it.»
Stéphane Goubert
«A big step forward and an excellent team»
«It was a big step and a great team effort. The whole team rose to the occasion, and Ben (O'Connor) was above it all. Today, he was untouchable. It was truly Ben at his best. He managed to break away just when the peloton needed a breather, which allowed them to pull ahead. The coordination at the front wasn't optimal, so Ben decided to accelerate and then went off on his own, pedalling hard, after wearing down his opponents one by one. He joins the very exclusive club of stage winners in all three Grand Tours. On top of that, he takes the leader's jersey, which is a reward for the whole team. Now it's up to us to do everything we can to defend it.»
The information
The overall team ranking as a bonus
After the sixth stage of the Vuelta and Ben O'Connor's victorious breakaway, which earned him the red leader's jersey, also the team's first leader's jersey in the Vuelta. The entire team was rewarded by taking the lead in the team classification.
Clément Berthet fourth in the stage
Clément Berthet, who was alongside Ben O'Connor in the day's breakaway, fought hard until the end and finished in an impressive fourth place, moving him up to eleventh in the overall standings. Felix Gall remains in the top 10 overall, in ninth place.
A successful day at the Tour du Poitou-Charentes
The team also performed well on the roads of the Tour du Poitou-Charentes. At the end of the time trial, Larry Warbasse ranked fifth in the stage and overall. Arthur Blaise, who started early in the day, held the lead for a long time before finishing in sixth position.
3
The figure
The number of stage wins in a Grand Tour for Ben O'Connor. After the Giro d'Italia in 2020 and the Tour de France in 2021, Ben joins the exclusive club of triple stage winners in all three Grand Tours with his victory at the summit of Alto de las Abejas in the Vuelta.
