O’Connor: ‘I didn’t want to give up that time, but it’s one stage less’

Another day in the red for leader Ben O’Connor, but this time with a smaller lead over the other favourites, at least some of them. It seems clear that the Australian is not the strongest in the race when the terrain climbs, as he demonstrated on Wednesday’s climb (he suffers more on short, explosive courses than on long ones), but Given the significant income generated by Juncker when he became leader, it has been all about management and overcoming differences ever since.

After stage 6, which he won, his lead over Roglic was 4:51. Now, after stage 11, with most of the mountain still ahead, it’s 3:16. This time, Roglic, Enric Mas, Carlos Rodriguez and Mikel Landa were 37 seconds short. “Obviously, I didn’t want to give up that time, that’s obvious, but the main thing is that the stage has been passed. “One less”– the leader said yesterday, smiling less than the day before, after the result in Bayonne.

Once the escape happened, his Decathlon Ag2r team took over the burden. “Every morning (because he dressed like a leader) We see the scene and study the runners who might be running and those we are not interested in. That’s why we try to control (the team set up a “blockade” during the stage, taking up the entire width of the road so that no one else could advance)“We think of everything before chaos sets in,” Ben added of his tactics.

Roglic was the one to attack on the final climb, taking Mas on his wheel and leaving the red jersey behind. “Yes, I expected Primoz’s attack, I imagined it, but I also hoped that I would be able to follow his wheel,” O’Connor analysed. Roglic himself, after finishing the stage in Padrón, quickly headed to his bus (he hadn’t moved all day, since the start and the stage were in the same place) and briefly expressed his feelings: “We shortened the time, so I’m happy.” There is still a whole world ahead.

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