Ben O’Connor considers contract options: 'I think you have to be open-minded'

Speaking exclusively to GCN just two days ahead of the start of the 2024 UAE Tour, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale’s Ben O’Connor is honest that his team for 2025 is as yet unknown. In the absence of clarity over his future, the Australian is keen to consider his options and embrace the opportunities that fall his way as he builds towards the Giro d’Italia.

Buoyed by a victory in his first race of the season at the Vuelta a Murcia, O’Connor sports a grin as wide as the Persian Gulf as he sits down with GCN for an interview just a stone’s throw from the Yas Marina Formula 1 Circuit.

Heading into the final 11 months of his contract with the French WorldTeam, O’Connor would be forgiven for feeling a little uneasy, but in actual fact, the 28-year-old is relaxed and looking forward to pushing the boundaries of his own performance.

“You have to open doors and pathways, but in the end, the main thing that brings me happiness is performing to your capacity. If you get everything out of what you desire, then I feel like you're winning the battle. I hate having regret,” he says, likening bad performances to the feeling of choosing the wrong restaurant to eat an evening meal.

There was certainly no remorse about O’Connor’s performance at the Vuelta a Murcia, which saw him drop Tim Wellens (UAE Team Emirates) on the final climb to seal an emphatic first win for Decathlon as a co-title sponsor of the French WorldTeam. O’Connor’s future, however, may well lie in the colours of another team.

After three seasons with the historic squad, the Australian is now in the final year of his contract and O’Connor is in no rush to decide on his next step.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” he acknowledges. “I think you have to be open-minded. I’ve been with the team now for four years, so it’s a decision to say [whether] you stay with this institution. Because it really is an institution, it's been around for 30 years.”

With a fresh title sponsor, new bikes and a reimagined kit for 2024, gone are the brown shorts and in comes a new look for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale as they embark on what is now their 33rd season as a professional outlet.

Read more:

• Decathlon unveiled as new title sponsor and bike supplier of AG2R La Mondiale team
• A closer look at the Van Rysel bikes Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale will ride in 2024

Despite their lengthy tenure, the team once known as Chazal-Vanille et Mûre-Vetta have retained their core French identity. 18 members of the team’s 30-rider squad hail from the homeland.

As he casts an eye to the future, O’Connor must decide whether to continue racing for the French squad - within which he has picked up the language over recent seasons - or chance his arm elsewhere in search of his next career objective, a Grand Tour podium finish.

“It's whether you stay there or you move teams and you try to experience something new, or something a bit more international. I've come from an International team as well, in Dimension Data, so I know what that is like too. I'm not really sure at the moment. At the end of the day, the most important thing is just to keep on performing, just look only at your performance.”

‘I have learned how to be a leader with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale’

Despite the uncertainty over his future, one thing that is abundantly apparent when talking to O’Connor is that his time with Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale has been thoroughly rewarding. For this reason, it is not yet time to rule out the Australian from continuing with the team beyond 2024.

“I think as a rider I have developed a lot since joining this team, my career has completely taken a different path since being with them,” he admits.

“I have learned how to be a leader, I've learned to deal with both language barriers and communication issues, being more forceful with your communication and also dealing with different cultures.”

© Tim de Waele/Velo Collection via Getty Images

O'Connor will ride Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour of the Alps before turning his attention to the Giro d'Italia

On the bike, it is clear that the Australian has gone from strength to strength since signing for the side in 2021. A remarkable stage win at the 2020 Giro d’Italia helped save his career at WorldTour level and within nine months, O’Connor was a stage winner and fourth-place finisher at the Tour de France for his new side.

Read more: Ben O'Connor claims first victory for Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale in tough Vuelta a Murcia

But speaking to the 28-year-old, it soon becomes apparent that his time with the team to date has been eye-opening in more ways than one.

“I have learned a lot and you really see how much emotion and passion the French guys have,” he says, with a knowing smile. “Compared to most other Anglo-Saxon riders I know, these guys love to ride their bikes even more than we would understand. I love riding my bike and I love being outside in nature, but for them riding a bike is almost another step - life wouldn't revolve if the bike wasn't part of their life. I think that's been a really interesting part of being in this team.”

Whether O’Connor remains in blue and white or takes his leave from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale at the end of this campaign, the Australian is a rider at home in what were once uncomfortable surroundings. He will hope his next career decision yields an equally satisfying outcome.

For all the important information about the 2024 UAE Tour, be sure to check out our dedicated race hub for our full preview, the race startlist and much more.