At the start of stage eight on Saturday,O’Connor was hoping that with time he’d be back at a level high enough to contest stage victories. However,just hours later he was involved in another pile-up that aggravated his condition and left him wincing as he dismounted his bike and limped into the team bus at the finish.
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The climber from Perth was upset to withdraw in the Alps,the scene of his maiden stage victory last year,however,his AG2R-Citroen team believed it was the right call.
“Given Ben’s physical condition,it was obvious that he should not start the next stage in order to preserve his physical integrity,” AG2R-Citroen general manager Vincent Lavenu said in a team statement released Monday afternoon (local time).
“We felt that he has been chasing the last few days for the team,driven by the desire not to disappoint us.
“The fact that we felt that he should stop and rebuild himself physically and mentally,relieved him.”