If Ben O'Connor (AG2R-Citroen) currently has one overriding attitude toward his plans for the 2022 Tour de France, it can definitely be summed up in one word: "Don't put a number on it."

The 26-year-old's unexpected but deserved fourth place overall in last year's debut Tour de France has led many to believe that he will automatically be a podium contender in the same race in 2022.

But as he told Cycling News in a preseason interview during the team's training camp in Spain, that's not really the case.

"There will be a lot of pressure, and people will say, 'You're going for the podium.'"

"It may feel like a logical step to aim for a third place finish, but in reality that attitude is not realistic. You never know what will happen in the Tour; you can finish in the same position whether you finish sixth, fourth, third, or tenth.

"You can't have an exact number in mind as to the position you want to finish in. You can only do that if you are sure you are in good shape for the race beforehand. The Tour is the Tour, but you can know how well you're doing in the race before that."

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O'Connor crashed in the first stage of the 2021 Tour and received 10 stitches in one forearm.

O'Connor was not attached to any particular result, but simply rode on, one day at a time. Even if it meant finishing in the top five in the two final mountain stages and eighth overall at the Criterium du Dauphiné in July.

But avoiding unnecessary pressure is something of a year-round strategy for O'Connor, not just in the Tour.

In 2022, for example, he has deliberately not cut and pasted the 2021 race calendar. One of the reasons for this is that "it's too easy to compare results from that year to the next, and if we miss the mark, it might be a little overstressed. So I don't think it would be right to try to replicate everything perfectly"

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Another reason to mix things up is to also keep in mind "fun" and enjoy the race you are doing.

"There has to be a balance between enjoying the race and just doing it. Racing is work, and I have personal ambitions. But one of those ambitions is to cross the finish line, and there has to be a little bit of personal happiness in it as well."

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The three key races of the 2021 season - Paris-Nice, the Criterium du Dauphiné, and the Tour - will again be landmark events on his 2022 calendar, but this year he will introduce the Volta a Catalunya as part of his spring campaign. And in the fall, he will probably start the Vuelta a España as well.

"This is a French team, so Paris-Nice, the Dauphiné, and the Tour are always three big, big goals. Besides, he notes, the Dauphiné will be held primarily in the Savoie region, home of AG2R Citroën.

"In any case, I really like the early season races. Even if Paris-Nice is like Russian roulette for the first couple of days. If you get through that, you have the motivation and mentality to be in the top 10 overall."

"Then the Volta a Catalunya is a very simple race near my home, Andorra. He likes these races because they are less positional and less stressful.

Given his preference for minimal stress during the race, it is perhaps no surprise that O'Connor describes his relationship with Paris-Nice as "interesting." On the other hand, he calls the Dauphiné "one of my favorite races of the year. And then there's the Tour de France.

However, O'Connor's expectations for the Tour de France are growing, and while it can no longer fly under the radar as it did in 2021, he is not entirely worried about the 2022 Tour.

The route is not a bad one for him, he says, and as a lightweight climber it is important that he gets great support from the AG2R Citroën group of Classics specialists for the tough northern France and Denmark first week stages. He also has a personal attitude of not worrying too much in advance, but to "try and see what happens."

"I think the route looks fine. The cobblestone stages the first week will be pretty bad, but that's their decision and we'll just work on it and try," he says. [Mickey Scherr, Oliver Naessen, and Greg Van Avermaat. These three are dependable. They are Mickey Scherr, Oliver Naessen, and Greg Van Avermaat.

"Plus, there are some good climbing stages for me, and I think I'll improve a lot in the time trial because last year I did very little time trial preparation.

Nevertheless, O'Connor recognizes that one of the biggest elements of the recipe for success is dealing with the pressure of heightened expectations. There are only a couple of days in a race as stressful as the Tour, the first couple of days of Paris-Nice. So you have to make it as stress-free as possible. That's the key."

His own strategy for doing so is: "Not too much texting or scrolling through my phone. Or read in depth about different types of wine. Or watch ski movies. Or watch other people play other professional sports."

"It's nice to watch other people play other professional sports.

While he asserts, "I'm not even thinking about the Champs-Elysées right now," he has his eyes on low-pressure projects for 2022, such as a stage win at the Vuelta a España in the fall.

"I will win a Grand Tour stage at the Giro in 2020, the Tour in 2021, and the Vuelta in 2022.

As if a little overwhelmed by his own enthusiasm for such lofty plans, he briefly mentioned that the idea of a third Grand Tour stage win "might be unrealistic." But then his natural optimism returned even stronger, presenting the other side of the argument. [There is no pressure in the Vuelta. For yourself, or for your teammates, for a punchy finish, or for GC, or for a little sprint to try your luck. After the Tour, for us anyway, the rest of the races this season will be pretty light by comparison."

O'Connor clearly is tied to a specific goal and may not intend to have his season labeled a failure or a success as a result. But it is also clear that he is undecided about the limits of what he can do in the Grand Tour; after his performance in 2021, no one can say that the omens for 2022 are not promising. Just don't put a number on it.

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