Ben O'Connor has difficulty breathing, Martínez and Tiberi take advantage: "Quintana gave me some gels"

On Tuesday, the rest day might have played a role, but when we saw Ben O'Connor coughing and gasping for breath at the finish line on Wednesday, it was clear enough... The Australian of Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale is obviously not in his element, and as a result he lost time in the sixteenth and seventeenth stages. While it's not a major concern yet, it's clear that Daniel Felipe Martínez, currently in second place, and Antonio Tiberi, in fifth, are sensing an opportunity.

"I had difficulty breathing, I seem to be fighting something," O'Connor stated after the seventeenth stage in an interview. When asked what exactly was wrong with him, he could not provide an answer. "It's disappointing, but hopefully my lungs will get some rest tomorrow and I'll be ready for the final mountain stages. I'm not at my best right now, but hopefully, it will get better."

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Martínez extends lead, Tiberi closes in on O'Connor

While O'Connor lost thirteen seconds to Tiberi on Tuesday and finished in the same time as Geraint Thomas, on Wednesday the damage was slightly more significant. The climber suffered a loss of 41 seconds to a group including Tiberi, Thomas and also Martínez. This slowly sees the podium slipping from O'Connor's view, with Tiberi now just three-quarters of a minute behind him in fourth place. "It was a beautiful day for me, the legs were very good. I tried to gain as much time as possible on Arensman and O'Connor," the Italian of Bahrain Victorious says in the mixed zone, also referring to his battle for the young rider classification against Thymen Arensman.

Martínez was also pleased, after a stage in which he vigorously defended his second place. "I wanted to make a difference, but I was somewhat isolated. Nairo Quintana gave me some gels," he says, thanking his compatriot of Movistar for some assistance. "When INEOS raised the pace on the final climb, I thought it was to prevent attacks, but when I heard O'Connor was struggling, I decided to try something."