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O’Connor had led the general classification since Stage 6 but saw his advantage fade as the Vuelta entered its final week, with just five seconds separating the Australian and Roglic heading into the 173.5-kilometre journey to Alto de Moncalvillo.
A strategic breakaway from Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe allowed the Slovenian to seize his opportunity midway through the 11-kilometre climb, before crossing the line 46 seconds ahead of runner-up David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) and third-placed Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek).
“I had some really nice memories from this climb and I didn’t miss this opportunity, I’m happy,” Roglic said.
Roglic now leads the overall standings with a 1’54” advantage over O’Connor with two stages still to come.
As for O’Connor, the Decathlon-AG2R-La Mondiale rider could do little on the definitive mountain, eventually crossing the line in 12th position but still hopeful of maintaining a place on the podium.
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La Vuelta 2024
series • cycling
series • cycling
“I was a bit broken at the end,” O’Connor said. “I actually felt pretty good until halfway.
“I wasn’t really surprised, but I didn’t expect myself to be so bad at the end.
“I was a bit average to be honest. But that’s just the reality.”
