In cycling, the line between bravery and recklessness can be razor-thin. Ben O’Connor discovered this the hard way on stage 2 of the Giro d’Italia, as he watched Tadej Pogačar’s bike vanish into the distance, leaving him struggling with the realization that he’d overdone it.
Climbing the steep roads to Oropa’s summit was tough, but the ride back down to his team bus in Biella was a brutal reminder that his courage had crossed into foolhardiness. O’Connor had valiantly tried to keep up with Pogačar’s furious pace, only to suffer the consequences as his energy drained away. “I wanted to stick with Pogi. It was my goal because I felt so good, but I guess it was too much, and it cost me later on,” he admitted, as he leaned against the AG2R La Mondiale bus, catching his breath.
O’Connor had set out to go head-to-head with Pogačar, and for a brief moment, he did. When Pogačar attacked 4.4 km from the summit, O’Connor was the only one who dared to chase him. But as the climb wore on, he quickly realized he couldn’t keep up with the Slovenian’s blistering pace. He fell back, eventually getting caught by Geraint Thomas and the other chasers. Still, he pressed on, determined to make the best of a tough situation.
Thomas, on the other hand, played it smart, letting O’Connor push the pace while he waited for the others to regroup. Once O’Connor began to fade, Thomas calmly dropped him, conserving energy for later battles. By the time they reached the top, O’Connor was in 13th place, about a minute behind Pogačar and 33 seconds behind Thomas and Daniel Martínez.
Back at the team bus, O’Connor couldn’t hide his frustration. He knew he’d taken a risk and it hadn’t paid off. A loud curse echoed from inside the bus, signaling his disappointment. After a shower and a change of clothes, he emerged with a rueful smile, ready to face the press. His mood had softened slightly, but the sting of losing time on a day when he felt strong was still fresh. He took responsibility for his error, hoping to learn from it.
“The goal of every stage is to be the fastest to the finish, not just to keep up with Pogi,” he said. “It was just me at the front, and we weren’t getting anywhere. When Thomas didn’t help, I knew I’d overdone it.” He acknowledged his aggressive racing style but regretted not having the energy to finish strong. “I’m proud of how I raced, but not of how I finished. I should never lose time like that. It’s just not good enough.”
Despite his disappointment, O’Connor wasn’t completely out of the general classification race. He was 10th overall, 1:45 behind Pogačar, but only 39 seconds away from a podium spot. With over 3,000 km left in the Giro, anything could happen. “There’s still a long way to go, and there’ll be big gaps between riders. This might not be the end of the world, but you never want to start the race by losing 30 seconds,” he said.
With plenty of racing left, O’Connor hoped to make up for his mistake. He knew he had to keep pushing forward and learn from his missteps if he wanted a shot at redemption.
