Ben O’Connor of AG2R Citroën had high hopes heading into the 2023. Tour De France after a strong performance at the Critérium du Dauphine. However, the first two days of the race have not gone according to plan. As he has lost 1 minute and 41 seconds to the overall leader, Adam Yates of UAE Team Emirates. Discover Tour De France Ben O’Connor – ‘The simple matter is I’m not good enough at the moment, weirdly’.
While there have been no major disasters, O’Connor did experience a crash within the final 40 kilometers of stage 2. Despite this setback, he quickly dismissed it as the cause of his misfortunes. Acknowledging that he fell on top of two other riders who may have been affected more severely.
After rejoining the main group following the crash of Tour De France, O’Connor was still unable to keep up with the key favorites and finished behind them at the San Sebastián finish line. This added to the 33 seconds he had already lost by being in the second group on the opening day.
O’Connor told reporters after stage 2.
“I was good until the top of Jaizkibel and then I was really bad. ”The simple matter is I’m not good enough at the moment, weirdly.”
During the stage, a category 2 climb near the finish created a gap among the riders, with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vinegared establishing a lead. O’Connor was part of the next group of seven riders who finished 58 seconds behind the leaders. Despite their efforts, they were unable to catch up. After being distanced on the final slopes of the Jaizkibel climb. O’Connor ultimately finished the stage in 28th place.
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