Ben O’Connor fights illness to secure GC fourth as Decathlon AG2R celebrates successful Giro d’Italia

BASSANO DEL GRAPPA ITALY MAY 25 Ben OConnor of Australia and Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team crosses the finish line during the 107th Giro dItalia 2024 Stage 20 a 184km stage from Alpago to Bassano del Grappa UCIWT on May 25 2024 in Bassano del Grappa Italy Photo by Dario BelingheriGetty Images
Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) finishes stage 20 of the 2024 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Getty Images)

Ben O’Connor coughed continuously at the finish of stage 20 in Bassano del Grappa but his pain was eased by knowing he had finished fourth overall in the Giro d’Italia even after fighting illness in the final week.

His Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale squad also won the team classification ahead of Ineos Grenadiers and UAE Team Emirates and they enjoyed two stage victories with Valentin Paret-Peintre and Andrea Vendrame.

Stephen Farrand
Head of News

Stephen is the most experienced member of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. He has been Head of News at Cyclingnews since 2022, before which he held the position of European editor since 2012 and previously worked for Reuters, Shift Active Media, and CyclingWeekly, among other publications.