Ben O'Connor

Ben Alexander O'Connor (born 25 November 1995) is an Australian road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .

Cycling career

In May 2018, he was named in the startlist for the 2018 Giro d'Italia. He was in 12th place on the general classification at the start of stage 19 but crashed during the stage breaking his collarbone. He then withdrew from the race.

In 2019 he completed two Grand Tours, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.

O'Connor started the 2020 Giro d'Italia. He achieved his first Grand Tour stage win on stage 17 after finishing second on stage 16 the day before.

O'Connor won stage nine of the 2021 Tour de France after getting in the breakaway and then riding solo for the last seventeen kilometres of the mountain stage. His victory elevated him to second in the general classification at the end of the stage. He finished the Tour in fourth place overall.

In 2024, O’Connor won stage six of that year’s edition of the Vuelta a España after going on a solo breakaway. His victory gave him a stage win in all three grand tours, and the opportunity to wear the red jersey as he took over a four-minute lead over the rest of the peloton. He wore the red jersey until stage 19 of the race, when he lost the lead to 3-time champion Primoz Roglic, but defended his second place in the podium until the end of the competition for his best ever result in a Grand Tour.

O'Connor came second in the 2024 UCI World Championship.

He also competed for Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the men's individual road race.

In 2025, O’Connor won stage eighteen of the 2025 Tour de France after attacking from the breakaway on the queen stage to the summit of the Col de la Loze and soloing to victory. He crossed the line 1 minute and 45 seconds ahead of race leader Tadej Pogačar, earning his second career Tour de France stage win and moving into the top ten of the general classification.

O'Connor participated in the 2026 Giro d'Italia, with the aim of challenging for a podium place. He was in fifth place in the General Classification at the start of Stage 14, however fell to eighth by the end of the stage after being one of the first contenders to lose contact with the main group. By the end of Stage 16 he was in ninth place, and he crossed the line nine minutes behind the winner on Stage 19 leading to him falling outside the top 10 overall.

Major results

2015 6th Time trial, Oceanian Under-23 Road Championships 2016 1st Overall New Zealand Cycle Classic 1st Stage 4 3rd Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships 3rd Overall Tour de Savoie Mont-Blanc 3rd Overall Tour de Taiwan 2017 (1 pro win) 5th Overall Tour of Austria 1st Stage 5 8th Overall Tour de Langkawi 2018 (1) 7th Overall Tour of the Alps 1st Young rider classification 1st Stage 3 10th Trofeo Matteotti 2019 6th Overall Tour of Austria 2020 (2) 1st Stage 17 Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 4 Étoile de Bessèges 2021 (1) 4th Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 9 Combativity award Stage 9 4th Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge 5th Overall Tour des Alpes-Maritimes et du Var 6th Overall Tour de Romandie 8th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné 2022 (2) 1st Tour du Jura 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné 5th Overall Tour de Romandie 6th Overall Volta a Catalunya 1st Stage 3 6th Classic Grand Besançon Doubs 7th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 8th Overall Vuelta a España 2023 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné 5th Tour du Jura 6th Overall Tour Down Under 7th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal 9th Overall Tour de Luxembourg 10th Tre Valli Varesine 2024 (3) UCI Road World Championships 1st Team relay

1st Vuelta a Murcia 2nd Overall Vuelta a España 1st Stage 6 Held after Stage 6–18 Combativity award Stage 6 2nd Overall UAE Tour 1st Stage 3 2nd Overall Tour of the Alps 4th Overall Giro d'Italia 5th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 2025 (1) Tour de France 1st Stage 18

7th Overall Tour de Suisse 10th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 2026 4th Time trial, National Championships 8th Overall Tour of the Alps 10th Overall Tour Down Under

General classification results timeline Grand Tour general classification results Grand Tour 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Giro d'Italia — DNF 32 20 — — —4 — 16 Tour de France — — — —4 DNF 17 — 11 28 Vuelta a España — — 25 — —8 —2 DNF Major stage race general classification results Race 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Paris–Nice — — — DNF 12 DNF — — 14 — Tirreno–Adriatico — — — — — — 135 — — Volta a Catalunya 42 11 DNFNH —6 14 — 12 13 Tour of the Basque Country — — — 23 — — — — — Tour de Romandie — — —65 — — — — Critérium du Dauphiné 46 — — 92833 — — Tour de Suisse — 13 —NH — — — —7

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish NH Not Held