Vuelta a Espana 2024: O'Connor storms into the red jersey - Lipowitz takes white
Thomas Goldmann
· 22.08.2024
Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) has turned the overall standings of the Vuelta a Espana on its head with an outstanding solo. The Australian triumphed after 185.5 kilometres between Jerez de la Frontera and Yunquera. O'Connor was initially part of a large breakaway group, which also included the German Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe).
The eventual stage winner broke away from his companions shortly after the intermediate sprint 63 kilometres before the finish together with Gijs Leemreize (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) and left the Dutchman behind in the finale. O'Connor thus completes his collection of stage wins at all three Grand Tours, having won a stage at the Giro d'Italia in 2020 and a stage at the Tour de France in 2021.
I left everything on the road. From the start, I felt I could win this stage - Ben O'Connor
Florian Lipowitz takes third place on stage 6 of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
In the end, O'Connor won by 4:33 minutes ahead of Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech) and 5:12 minutes ahead of Lipowitz. The 2021 Tour de France runner-up now leads the overall standings by 4:51 minutes ahead of Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). The latter's team-mate Lipowitz improved to fourth place thanks to his breakaway attempt. The 23-year-old also takes the white jersey of the best young pro, for which all riders born after 1 January 1999 compete. Lipowitz leads the classification by eleven seconds ahead of Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious).
Vuelta a Espana 2024 - Results: the top 10 of stage 6
- Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) 4:28:12
- Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech) +4:33
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +5:12
- Clement Berthet (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +5:12
- Cristian Rodriguez (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +5:12
- Gijs Leemreize (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL) +5:12
- Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal - Quick Step) +5:35
- Urko Berrade (Equipo Kern Pharma) +6:02
- Isaac del Toro (UAE Team Emirates) +6:31
- David Gaudu (Groupama-FDJ) +6:31
The overall standings of the Tour of Spain 2024
- Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) 23:28:28
- Primoz Roglic (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +4:51
- Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates) +4:59
- Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) +5:18
- Enric Mas (Movistar) +5:23
- Cristian Rodriguez (Arkea-B&B Hotels) +5:26
- Antonio Tiberi (Bahrain-Victorious) +5:29
- Lennert van Eetvelt (Lotto-Dstny) +5:32
- Felix Gall (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale) +5:38
- Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) +5:49
How the 6th stage of the Vuelta a Espana 2024 went
The start was something special: The drivers lined up in a supermarket and then set off towards kilometre 0, where the peloton was split right from the start. At the back was Joao Almeida (UAE Team Emirates), who finished second in his class. Anarchy and chaos reigned at the front, while Almeida and Co. came back. Attacks rained down.
13 Runaways with Florian Lipowitz
In between, a group of 33 riders was reported at the front. At the summit of the Puerto del Boyar (1st category), a breakaway group of 13 riders formed around Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe). Also present: Ben O'Connor, Clement Berthet (both Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Cristian Rodriguez (Arkea-B&B Hotels), Urko Berrade, Pablo Castrillo (both Equipo Kern Pharma), Mauri Vansevenant (Soudal - Quick Step), Marco Frigo (Israel-Premier Tech), Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates), Gijs Leemreize (Team dsm-firmenich PostNL), Luca Vergallito (Alpecin-Deceuninck), Pelayo Sanchez (Movistar) and Chris Harper (Team Jayco-AlUla).
The group initially pulled out a lead of around a minute. But the peloton refused to settle down. UAE Team Emirates in particular tried to send riders to the front. Wout van Aert (Visma | Lease a Bike) also tried to jump to the front. Only when Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe set a slightly faster pace did the attacking attempts die down and the breakaway's lead increased slightly.
Tasks on stage 6 of the Vuelta a Espana 2024
While the action was going on at the front, Jon Aberasturi (Euskaltel-Euskadi) was the third rider to abandon at the 2024 Tour of Spain after Dylan van Baarle (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Rui Costa (EF Education EasyPost), with Kenny Elissonde (Cofidis) and Rigoberto Uran (EF Education EasyPost) also abandoning later on.
The race situation increasingly stabilised in the middle section of the stage. Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe allowed the group to pull away by up to five minutes - for good reason. Florian Lipowitz was the best-placed of the breakaway riders in the overall standings, just 1:50 minutes behind his team-mate Primoz Roglic. A good 70 kilometres before the finish, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe dropped out of the lead completely and Bahrain-Victorious took command of the peloton.
Florian Lipowitz misses decisive attack
At the intermediate sprint, O'Connor took six bonus seconds and thus virtually drew level with Lipowitz. Shortly afterwards, the leading group stopped racing. O'Connor and Leemreize broke away 63 kilometres before the finish - the key scene of the stage. Lipowitz, on the other hand, missed the post breakaway and even when Sanchez, then Frigo and Urade set off in pursuit, the German was not there and was left hanging between a tree and a bark with the rest of the escapees.
Ben O'Connor hangs up last companion
UAE Team Emirates, Lidl-Trek and Movistar came to the front of the peloton in the last 30 kilometres and set the pace. On the penultimate climb to Puerto Martinez (2nd category), O'Connor left Leemreize behind, who was passed through to sixth place. Behind him, Frigo pulled away from his companions, but had to endure another scary moment when he fell in a left-hand bend, but was able to continue his ride straight away.
Not much happened on the final climb. O'Connor rode the race of his life at the front as if unleashed and in the end gained six and a half minutes on the group of favourites. Behind the Australian, Frigo came in second on the day, behind him the chasing groups came together again and Lipowitz secured third place in the day's classification in the sprint.
