Ben O’Connor continues to lead the general classification after the crucial sixteenth stage of the Vuelta a Espana, but his lead of over five minutes from the first week is almost gone.
O’Connor died a thousand deaths on the final climb to Lagos de Covadonga, but managed to hold the red jersey for a little longer.
“I didn’t expect it to turn out so badly,” he said. “But in the end I managed to save the red jersey. I think this is a nice bright spot for the next two stages. I just have to enjoy it to the fullest now, because I’m not sure whether I’ll still be wearing the red jersey in Madrid.”
O’Connor did just enough to keep the red jersey, although there was still some consternation after the finish. O’Connor – after briefly speaking to the media – started his descent. It turns out that O’Connor had mistaken the location of the podium ceremony.
“Ben thought the ceremony was fifteen kilometers – and not 500 meters – from the top of Lagos de Covadonga. So he rode all the way down, and then rode back up. He wasn’t happy about it,” Daniel Friebe reports.
