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News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Tour de France 2025: Preview of Australian riders including Ben O'Connor's GC bid
Ten Australians will be on the start line when the Tour de France starts this Saturday in Lille in northern France. Australian-owned Team Jayco AlUla have three Aussies in the mix this year – Ben O'Connor, Luke Plapp and Luke Durbridge. O'Connor notably has top-five general classification ambitions in his first Tour with his new team. He finished 4th in the Tour in 2021 for AG2R and then had a stellar season last year finishing 4th in the Giro and then a courageous second overall in the Vuelta a Espana. But his crowning moment was his brilliant second place to Slovenian champion Tadej Pogacar in the World Road Championship in Switzerland. It will be the first time that Team Jayco AlUla has had an Australian leading its general classification charge since its inception in 2012. O'Connor was quietly confident before the teams presentation on Thursday. 'We have a really versatile team and I've performed well in Grand Tours in the past so I'll do everything I can to get back to the top five, which I've been able to do in all three grand tours,' O'Connor said. Jayco team owner Gerry Ryan is excited at the prospects for his team in this his 14th lap of France. 'There is an amazing vibe that you feel when you rock up to a Tour de France, the excitement is palpable - the party atmosphere that continues on every night with nearly a million raucous fans each day,' he told CODE Sports. 'Cycling is a global sport and all the major events receive serious media attention but the Tour is on another level and it is crucial for our team, riders, staff and most of all - our partners. 'It is the biggest annual sporting event on the planet and the eyes of the world are watching. 'A staggering 750 million watch the Tour live each day which is just mind blowing.' Ryan said Jayco was a well balanced team led by O'Connor, who was capable of getting on the final podium in Paris in three weeks' time. 'The team will be all in for Dylan Groenewegen in stage one,' he said. 'The Dutch sprinter is in great form and it would be a brilliant way to start the tour with the first Maillot Jaune (yellow jersey). 'We also have some realistic opportunities for other stage wins with Luke Plapp and Mauro Schmid.' Ryan said Plapp had recovered well from the Giro d'Italia where his first ever Grand Tour stage win impressed the cycling world. Schmid, like Plapp, is riding his first Tour and a week ago won the Swiss Time Trial and Road Race championships. 'Then we have Luke Durbridge,' Ryan said. 'Durbo is riding his 11th Tour and he is the engine that keeps the team together.' Jack Haig is another Australian with the ability to challenge for a top 10 in Paris. The boy from Bendigo, who finished third in the 2021 Vuelta, is capable but his team duties with Bahrain Victorious will make things more difficult. Teammate and fellow Aussie Rob Stannard is making his Tour debut and will be looking to get in a breakaway to reveal his all-round abilities. Nine-time grand tour stage winner Kaden Groves has been named by Alpecin-Deceuninck for his debut TdF. While capable of sprinting to a stage victory, he will be leading out his Belgian teammate Jasper Philipsen who will be chasing green jersey success. Jarrad Drizners is back in action with Lotto. The 26-year-old from Adelaide is riding his second Tour and will be chasing the breakaways. Harry Sweeny (EF Education-EasyPost) is also riding his second tour and will be hoping to improve on his third place in stage 12 in 2021. Callum Scotson, who has ridden many strong Giros and Vueltas for Jayco AlUla, is set to ride his first Tour with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team. And this will be M ichael Storer 's 10th grand tour and second TdF. Riding for Tudor Pro Cycling, his win in this year's Tour de Alps and 10th in the Giro make him a realistic chance for a top 10 finish.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
History maker Ben O'Connor racing for overall honours at Tour de France
Ben O'Connor knows he must play with fire at the Tour de France. The 29-year-old will make Australian cycling history when the Tour starts on Saturday night (AEST) at Lille in north-east France. Top Grand Tour results For the first time since Jayco AlUla was formed in 2012, the only Australian team to contest the Tour will feature an Australian overall contender. O'Connor has finished in the top four at the three-week Grand Tours — the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Espana. He is the top Australian general classification (GC) hope at this year's Tour de France. His wealth of experience and results give O'Connor confidence that he can achieve another big result at the sport's most famous race. Slovenian Tadej Pogačar, the defending champion, and Dane Jonas Vingegaard have won the past five Tours between them. The consensus is that this year's title will be another duel between them. But whatever happens, O'Connor will not die wondering. "It's so often the case … you do have to be astute and there are many chances," he said. "You play a little bit with fire and you also have to gamble, but that risk has paid off on occasion for me. "It has to be weighted, so you're well aware you're not absolutely blowing your chance, you know?" A good case in point was O'Connor's best result at the Tour — fourth overall in 2021. O'Connor thought he had suffered a broken shoulder when he was caught in a crash on day one. He then won stage nine at Tignes to dramatically transform his fortunes. "I don't necessarily need to put a number on where I'm going to finish, because the story writes itself by the end," he said of his Tour goal this year. "But I have my historical results. You know what's been capable. You know where I can place myself, more or less. "It doesn't mean I'm going to be second at the Tour because I've been second at La Vuelta [last year], but it's where you expect yourself to be one of the better guys in the race — and then be involved. "I would love to be, at least, aggressive at one point in the race. There's nothing better than being in the biggest race in the world and having that chance to win another stage." Australian entrants O'Connor joined Jayco AlUla this year and is aware of the significance of the team having a local GC contender for the first time. When Cadel Evans won in 2011 and Richie Porte was third in 2020, they were in European-based teams. "It is a big moment for Jayco AlUla, having an Australian GC guy. But in the end, I just have to go about my business as I normally would," he said. "But — it would be great if it went well. It would be great for Australian cycling as well. It would be cool actually, if I was a kid, looking up like it was with Cadel and Richie. "If they were part of GreenEDGE [the Australian team's original name] at the time, that would have been even more iconic." Jayco AlUla will also have Dutch sprinter Dylan Gronewegen going for wins at the flat stages. Australian Michael Matthews would have been the team's opportunist in the first few days of the Tour, but he was forced out of racing last month because of a pulmonary embolism. "That's very poor timing … it's such bad luck," O'Connor said of Matthews. "The thing that makes it sting is the first nine days in particular are full of chances for Michael. "That's where it hurts, but what can you do? In the end, it's his health." AAP
SBS Australia
4 hours ago
- SBS Australia
#Archives : 2017 - Retracing the 1928 Tour de France with Phil Keoghan
In this episode, we dive into the world of cycling with Phil Keoghan, producer of the documentary Le Ride, which follows the inspiring story of Harry Watson - the first New Zealander to race in the Tour de France in 1928. Phil shares how discovering a forgotten book about Watson sparked his mission to bring this remarkable tale back to life. The thing I'm most proud of is we have ensured that the story has been captured for all time. Phil Keoghan With a passion for authenticity, Phil recounts the challenge of retracing the 1928 Tour route using vintage bikes and explores how the riders' determination resonated with post-WWI audiences in France. He also reflects on the emotional depth of the story, the production hurdles, and the pride of preserving a piece of forgotten history.
