The AG2R Citroen rider had set out to make up for his early exit from the Tour de France at La Vuelta and has so far been solid without truly hitting his best form.
Thursday’s 192-kilometre route from Trujillo to Alto de Piornal had been earmarked by the West Australian as one of his best opportunities for a stage win, but the race didn’t go to plan for O’Connor leaving him thinking what might have been.
“It was good racing today. I am a bit pissed off, to be honest, because I think I rode a bit stupid today,” O’Connor said at the finish. “I think I could have fought for the win today. I am not really so happy.
“I think I needed a couple of teammates to ride really hard and make it a bit more solid. In the end, it was a bit tactical at the end, but I should have waited and kept my bullets because I spent way too many.”
O’Connor attacked the final climb with intent, but could not maintain the intensity when Enric Mas (Movistar Team) and race leader Remco Evenepoel (Quick-Step Alpha Vinyl) delivered a late surge.
The Australian finished the stage in seventh place, 13 seconds behind stage winner Evenepoel, as part of a chasing group that also featured compatriot Jai Hindley (BORA Hansgrohe).
“I managed the final badly and may have missed out on the victory,” O’Connor said.
“I really wanted to win. I was hoping for the last climb to be fast but it was purely tactical and I wasted too many bullets unnecessarily.
“I should have waited because I felt very strong. It could have worked.”
With two big stages remaining O’Connor is still in with a chance of claiming a stage win before the end of this year’s La Vuelta.
He says he hopes to see a little more uncertainty during the final stages and is determined to make the most of the challenge.
“It was nice to have a fun stage where it was a bit chaotic because every other day has been a bit too simple for me,” O’Connor said.
“The other stages of this Vuelta have not been hard enough. There are two days left to do better.”
