After two weeks of cycling up Spanish mountains Ben O'Connor was enjoying a break on Monday as the peloton savoured a rest day in the Vuelta a Espana.
So far the West Australian has ridden 2,425.4km, the last 1,495km wearing the leader's red jersey after his epic win on stage six. He has six stages to go, another 872.6km to ride, before the finish with a time trial in Madrid on Sunday.
Should the 28-year-old still be ahead of the field at the finish he will become the first Australian to win the Spanish grand tour, completing the set after Cadel Evans won the Tour de France in 2011 and Jai Hindley the Giro d'Italia in 2022.