O'Connor and Skjelmose have the same goal for 2025: "The course suits him well"

This winter, Ben O'Connor is moving from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team to Team Jayco AlUla. There, the 28-year-old Australian will be the primary general classification leader, now that Simon Yates is joining Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Although O'Connor had an impressive season with strong results in both the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España, the Tour de France always holds a special allure. Next year, O'Connor will return to the Tour, and it will be his main goal, as confirmed by team manager Matt White in a conversation with Daniel Benson.

"We expect a traditional buildup starting in February, followed by some rest and then a focus on the Tour. We may see him ride the Vuelta afterward as well," White shared. Besides the Tour plans, they see additional potential for O'Connor. "His coach thinks he should focus more on one-day races, so he will be lined up for a few of those," White added.

On the other side of the peloton, Mattias Skjelmose from Lidl-Trek has also set his sights on the Tour. After finishing fifth in the general classification of the 2024 Vuelta a España, Lidl-Trek is aiming higher in 2025. "Now he's shown that he can ride for three weeks, and the next step is to move a bit further up in the standings," sports director Kim Andersen told Ekstra Bladet. "I think the course suits him very well. There’s a flat time trial in the beginning and some stages with potential for crosswinds, which will also play to his strengths. I think it's a fantastic course. It’s going to be very tough at the end, so it will be quite a spectacle," Andersen concluded.