O’Connor now sits 7’46 behind race leader Remco Evenepoel (QuickStep Alpha Vinyl), the young Belgian extending his lead on all his rivals with his convincing stage victory.
O’Connor finished 1’53 behind Evenepoel on the 31-kilometre course, ending on the same time as fellow Aussie Michael Hepburn (BikeExchange-Jayco) and Fred Wright (Bahrain Victorious) both accomplished riders against the clock.
The West Australian was quietly pleased after the stage, speaking to SBS Sport immediately after finishing.
“It felt really fast,” said O’Connor. “I was so blown at the end though, I didn’t finish really well.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done a good TT, I’ve been trying to improve. I felt really bad just before the rest day, on that steep climb I felt terrible.”
With the temperatures reaching 35 degrees Celsius, many riders utilised ice packs and fans in the warm-up to stay cool with a number of riders visibly fatigued post-stage. Thymen Arensman (Team DSM) collapsed after the finish and O’Connor spoke of the ongoing heat wave in Spain.
“It’s horrible out here, like a rainforest but not so green,” said O’Connor. “I hope it’s gets a bit cooler in the next few days but I know it won’t be.
“Tomorrow should be chill, I don’t think there’s a lot of wind, it should be a normal sprint day. Peñas Blancas should be very hot, I think hydration will almost be the number one factor. Then the climb will sort itself out, but if Remco is riding like he is then he can ride away and I’ll fight my own battle.”
The question was then put to O’Connor whether anyone could beat Evenepoel, with the Australian pointing towards Stage 15’s long summit finish to Sierra Nevada.
“I think wait until Sierra Nevada,” said O’Connor, “it’s one of the hardest climbs I’ve done, especially with the bottom of it, I’d wait until then.
For the other major Australian in the general classification battle, Jai Hindley (BORA-hansgrohe) it was a below expectations performance. The Giro d’Italia winner was well below his best, losing 3’48 to Evenepoel, and slipping down to 13th overall.
La Vuelta continues with Stage 11, an expected day for the sprinters as the peloton navigates a 191.2-kilometre stage to Cabo de Gata.
