Willem O’Connor, second in line, on his way to a very strong result in France, where he was one of a select few riders dictating the outcome late in the race (Photo: Céline Roué)
Having taken a big step forward in his cycling career last year, Willem O’Connor has switched teams to a new French squad and has made a very strong start to his season in the tough environment of the French elite scene.
He was to the fore at Plaintel-Plaintel on Sunday, a 138km national level event in Brittany in northwestern France, with his ability to get off the front and influence the racing late in the day should offer him good encouragement for the rest of the season.
O’Connor rode for the U23 Velo Performance team in 2025, racing a mix of UCI-ranked events abroad and domestic races and was one of the riders of the Easter weekend last year at Dornan Rás Mumhan.
This year he is riding for Team Bricquebec Cotentin, ‘National 1’ level team on the elite domestic scene, and based out of Manche in Normdany. O’Connor has wasted no time in hitting his stride, getting his first stage race in the legs the weekend before last – the two day Circuit des Plages Vendéennes, and yesterday took 4th at Plaintel-Plaintel.
Racing in freezing cold conditions and in the race, O’Connor said he wasn’t feeling great in the early stages of the race, as the attacks flew off the front, but as the event continued to unfold his form came around.
Racing around a 7km local lap to finish, with a 2.5km climb on the course, the race became a war of attrition in the final, especially given the conditions, and it wasn’t until the closing stages that the winning move unfolded.
Gabriel Garçon (Moyon Percy Manche Normandie) made a strong move off the front, eventually going solo and getting a gap that looked like it may be a race-winning one.
However, there was still life among the strongest riders in the chasing bunch behind, and O’Connor emerged as one of those dictating the racing as the final lap unfolded. As that last passage of the circuit began, he got off the front on a small chasing group.
And though they were catching solo leader Garçon, they ran out of road to get him back and he took a solo victory just seconds ahead of the nearest chasers, with the remains of the bunch also just seconds further back.
O’Connor and the other two riders he was with managed to stay ahead of the chasing pack. And though the other two riders he was with – Loan Roué (Team Adris-La Crêpe de Brocéliande-BLC) and Louy Burel (VC Pays de Loudéac) – got the better of him in the sprint, O’Connor hung on for 4th, a strong start to his campaign.