Australians for a long time have followed the exploits of Richie Porte and Cadel Evans at the Tour de France, but a fresh face will lead the charge for the nation this year sophiesmith86
in May, has also boosted the Perth climber’s confidence even though the Tour is “a million times more stressful”.“Last year, clearly Tadej, Vingegaard and Carapaz were above us on a level but watching Carapaz get blown by Jai there on that [second-last] day [at the Giro] was really cool to see.Ben O’Connor conquered the first summit finish at the 2021 Tour de France.
Added to that, among others, is Oliver Naesan, who last season proved a great support on and off the bike, helping O’Connor, a latecomer to the sport, stay focused and reassured when the inescapable noise of the Tour got louder, and the stakes higher than anticipated. O’Connor has been working on his time trialling and has an eye on stage 17 to Peyragudes, which suits him.
Jack Haig is another Australian climber aiming to make his mark. It’s anticipated the likes of O’Connor, Hindley and Haig will fly the flag as Australia’s new grand tour title contenders for a while. Pundits believe that the nation’s strict border measures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which blocked teams from travelling abroad to compete, has delayed the progression of the next generation.
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