After a stunning mountain victory in La Molina on stage 3 of the Volta a Catalunya, new race leader Ben O'Connor set his next goal as defending his overall win into Sunday's Barcelona, achieving the first complete stage race victory for AG2R Citroën.

O'Connor told a small group of reporters after the race, including Cycling News, "Winning the overall will be the next big step in my career. It's really a dream come true for me."

O'Connor has won stages in two of his three Grand Tours and finished a landmark fourth overall in last year's Tour de France. He is now the third Australian to win the Catalunya Volta, joining Michael Matthews and Kayden Groves (both of Bike Exchange-Jackson). However, he has never won a stage race overall. [O'Connor currently leads his closest rival Juan Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates) by 10 seconds.

Previous race winner Nairo Quintana (Alcare Samsic) is 12 seconds back in third place, and with nearly 30 others under a minute, there are still many strong contenders in the GC race.

They will attack on the Queen stage in the Pyrenees on Thursday.

"It's a perfect climb for me and I can definitely handle it," O'Connor insisted. "The descent is the hardest part, and then there's a breather in the middle. I have to be careful to make the right moves."

"But there are good gaps and I'm confident the team will do their best to protect me. They are strong. They know how to take care of me."

In any case, O'Connor's victory marks a comeback after he fell ill midway through Paris-Nice and was forced to retire. He had retired just as he was getting through the toughest stage for climbers, having perfectly handled the crosswinds and breakups in the early stages.

"I was very sad after that. I thought I had done well in Echelon and could have been in contention for fifth or tenth overall, but I think I'm okay now and I'll be able to take this one. But I think I'm okay now and I'm going to try to win this race."

Commenting on his decision to jump out with about 8km to go, O'Connor, a resident of nearby Andorra, said his knowledge of irregular climbs like La Molina gave him a decisive advantage.

"I knew it was gradual near the summit, so I knew where to go. It was really hard at the end, but that was the difference that allowed me to get the win and the jersey."

"I knew it well because I used to ride from Andorra to Girona from time to time and I've been up there a few times and I've driven up there a few times. But I didn't think I could get away with it alone.

"I don't know if they were scared or worried, but I just kept going and did my best."

Whether O'Connor will become the first Australian to win the overall since Richie Porte six years ago remains to be seen.

But history is certainly on his side. Four of the six previous winners of La Molina (Joaquim Rodriguez in 2014, Alejandro Valverde in 2017 and 2018, and Miguel Angel Lopez in 2019) have won the Volta a Catalunya outright.