O'Connor aims for the Tour and faces Vingegaard and Pogacar there: "On certain days I can get close to them"

The GC rider can reflect on last year with pride, which he thoroughly does. "I look back on it with a smile. Very few things went wrong, and I was the best version of myself of all races. Wearing the red jersey in the Vuelta was very special for me; it was an honor to be a leader," he told Wieler Revue.

The Australian performed consistently and reached heights unheard of before. At Jayco-AlUla, he will once again be the prominent leader, and after his year, expectations will be high. The 29-year-old rider may have experienced the peak of his career last year. "But I'm sure I can reach this level again next year, and maybe I can improve slightly. Only your level doesn't always correlate with your performance."

The transfer to Team Jayco-AlUla brings both sporting and personal benefits for O'Connor. According to him, communication within the Australian team is more effortless. "It goes so smoothly; we get straight to the point in conversations. Very nice. The team management, in particular, understands me better. We can talk to each other directly without creating any confusion. Maybe it won't help directly in the race, but it will on a personal level. As a person, I feel more comfortable because I can be completely myself."

Despite his impressive results, O'Connor sees a gap with riders like Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. "On certain days, I can get close to them, but I'm not as physically talented as them,' he acknowledges. Still, he does not let this discourage him and remains focused on his goals and strategies. 'I don't plan my races based on what they do. You could do that, but for me, too, the Tour de France is ultimately the highlight. I just want to be there. You must keep going and deal with such greats in the sport."

In addition to his GC ambitions, O'Connor wants to show up more often in one-day races, mainly through his racing style. "My previous coach always thought I should do more one-day races, but you must tune into what you must do there. The cool thing is that you can't wait, like on a grand tour. In a one-day race, you have to race aggressively at some point. Maybe I should indeed do it more often."