One Australian with the potential chance for glory in the Ronde van Vlaanderen is Stuart O'Grady, but the 34 year-old will likely be playing a support role for his team-mate Fabian Cancellara, rather than trying to repeat the exploits of last year's Paris-Roubaix. The affable rider from Adelaide explained that he hadn't recovered his top form after a crash in the Tour de France last year. The cold weather forecast didn't favour the Australian either, but he wouldn't be less motivated to work for the team.
"I'm happy that the team is flying," O'Grady referred to the huge confidence in the Danish team. Last year the Australian was the CSC-card that was played when Cancellara couldn't get rid of his rivals. "Last year in Paris-Roubaix we changed tactics, and it worked. That's the main strength of the Team CSC. We adapt to the conditions and we can adapt our scenario. That what we train for and that's what we do in small races as well. Every rider from the team can step up and go on to win," O'Grady explained.
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"Most teams have one or two riders who can win, but the way Kurt won last week shows how many cards we can play." The race is the team's to lose with such an advantage in numbers. "For sure there's a lot of pressure on our team, but that's not something news, so we know how to deal with that."
The CSC-rider explained that he hasn't yet reach the form that brought him to that fantastic win in Paris-Roubaix last year. "After my crash in the Tour de France it has taken me a lot of time to recover. Everyday I'm feeling better and better, but I'm definitely not in the form I was last year. I'm more than happy to work for the boys and do what I have to do to help the team to the win. I'm just happy with getting back to 'around' the same kind of level where I was," he continued. 'Stuey' then pointed out that he wouldn't mind playing the Paris-Roubaix trick once again. "When the opportunity arises, then I'll go for it and do my job and we'll see what happens."
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![BLOCKHAUS, ITALY - MAY 15: (L-R) Ben O'Connor of Australia and Team {"type":"articleBuilderTags","tags":[{"url":"/tag/image/jai-hindley","indexed":false,"dateModified":1777302880000,"dateCreated":1580958069000,"site":"cyclingnews","type":"image","slug":"jai-hindley","name":"Jai Hindley","alternateNames":[],"id":"8sXQPCfohunqAQcf8ndnBk","abbreviation":"","lifecycle":[],"relatedFreeformTags":[]},{"url":"/tag/image/giro-d-italia-2026","indexed":false,"dateModified":1776875875000,"dateCreated":1764501544000,"site":"cyclingnews","type":"image","slug":"giro-d-italia-2026","name":"Giro d'Italia 2026","alternateNames":[],"id":"rrkf3wKvASrYFoLMHwTyNK","abbreviation":"","lifecycle":[],"relatedFreeformTags":[]},{"url":"/tag/image/ben-oconnor","indexed":false,"dateModified":1777538073000,"dateCreated":1567254952000,"site":"cyclingnews","type":"image","slug":"ben-oconnor","name":"ben o'connor","alternateNames":[],"id":"rxxUSXKo6UevYXVYYmaFch","abbreviation":"","lifecycle":[],"relatedFreeformTags":[]}],"site":"cyclingnews","tagsType":"image"}nsgrohe compete during the 109th Giro d'Italia 2026, Stage 7 a 244km stage from Formia to Blockhaus 1658m / #UCIWT / on May 15, 2026 in Blockhaus, Italy. (Photo by Dario Belingheri/Getty Images)](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kPnrx65muXYLXjC7D65meZ-1280-80.jpg.webp)