Ben O'Connor limits losses in fight for top spot in Giro d'Italia after struggling on summit finish of Pila

Ben O’Connor’s hopes of challenging for the overall victory in the Giro d’Italia suffered a significant setback on stage 14, which featured a demanding summit finish at Pila. The Australian rider, leading the Jayco-AlUla team, struggled to maintain the pace set by Visma-Lease a Bike’s climbing specialist Sepp Kuss and was dropped from the main general classification (GC) group with around nine kilometres remaining. Although O’Connor managed to limit his losses by the end of the stage, he conceded nearly three minutes to the new race leader, Jonas Vingegaard, and slipped from fifth to eighth in the overall standings. The stage unfolded with dramatic shifts in the race leadership. While race leader Afonso Eulálio was dropped earlier on the climb, Vingegaard launched a decisive attack in the final kilometres to claim the stage win and take over the pink jersey. O’Connor’s performance, though below his earlier form on the Blockhaus climb, showed resilience as he fought to minimise the time lost. Despite this, he now trails Vingegaard by 5 minutes and 22 seconds and is over three and a half minutes behind the nearest podium contender, Felix Gall. O’Connor’s difficulties on the stage may have been compounded by earlier health issues and unconfirmed reports of a crash in the neutralised zone of stage 14, factors that could have affected his performance. Known for his strong endurance and ability to recover in the latter part of Grand Tours, the Australian rider’s capacity to regain momentum in the final week remains a key question. His team and fans will be watching closely to see whether he shifts focus towards targeting individual stage victories or continues to pursue a high GC placing. The developments on stage 14 have further solidified Vingegaard’s control over the race, with his Visma-Lease a Bike team demonstrating tactical dominance in the mountains. As the Giro enters its most challenging phase, the battle for the podium and the overall title is intensifying, with riders like O’Connor needing to find new reserves of strength to mount a comeback. The coming stages will be crucial in determining whether the Australian can reassert himself among the race favourites or if the contest will become a two-horse race led by Vingegaard and his closest rivals.