There is no longer any doubt that Ben O'Connor, who finished fourth in the 2021 Tour de France, has what it takes to be competitive in the overall class. However, just as last year's overall rank advancement was a major breakthrough, the Australian is no longer content with just missing the podium step by a whisker.

The AG2R Citroën rider has been consistently strong this season, never dropping out of the top 10 in GC, and after retiring from Paris-Nice with illness, he took a stage win at Volta a Catalunya and also won the Tour du Jura on the 1st.

In his last race, the Tour de Romandie, he achieved his best overall result of the season, moving up one place from sixth in 2021.

"I'm happy with how I've ridden so far, but it could have been better," O'Connor said during a Q&A at the Criterium du Dauphiné. For example, I was fifth in the Tour de Romandie, but if everything had gone well, I could have been on the podium, I could have won."

The Perth-born rider has become more consistent and has higher ambitions as he matures as a rider.

"I'm still growing physically and my level is coming up naturally. I'm 26 years old and all the years of hard work are starting to pay off. My body is adapting to the demands of these races and I am meeting more and more of my very ambitious goals. I am also gaining confidence. I used to want to be an overall class racer. Now I am an overall class athlete."

And now he is also a rider in the overall class, looking for more than top 10s and top 5s.

"It's time to go for the podium at a major World Tour event. It's the first time for me and I know it's possible to win a race like this," O'Connor said before Sunday's start of the eight-stage Criterium du Dauphiné, which fellow Australian Richie Porte (Ineos Grenadiers) won last year.

O'Connor's strategy for the race, in which he finished eighth last year, is to focus on the first uphill finish, Chastelet-Sancy (6.2 km, 5.6%), and the 31.9 km time trial on stage 4.

"Obviously it's a challenge," O'Connor said of the uphill finish of stage 3. But the final climb isn't steep enough to make a big difference. On the other hand, the time trial is very important. I haven't done many time trials this year, so I want to see where I stand in this respect.

"I think the days when climbers were inevitably bad on the flat are over. I can run well in time trials."

Another time trial test will take place in another French race in July, and O'Connor will be looking to emulate the success of fellow Western Australians like Porte, the Dauphiné winner who finished third in the 2020 Tour de France, and Jai Hindley, another Western Australian who has stood on the top step of the Grand Tour podium He hopes to emulate the success of his compatriots.

"My adventure in the Tour last year was extraordinary, I couldn't even imagine what happened. To win a stage in Paris and finish fourth overall was huge. And I did it! But of course, I always want to be better. That's why you become an athlete and why you have to invest a lot in this job," O'Connor said.

"So my perspective has changed compared to last year and I feel like I can go for the top this summer. It was also encouraging to see my friend Jai Hindley win the Giro. He's from Perth, too, and we've known each other for a long time. When I saw him win, I knew I could do it too."