Cycling: O'Connor leads La Vuelta

The first week of the Vuelta a Espana is done and dusted with Ben O'Connor holding the red jersey ahead of Primoz Roglic.

It has been an exciting opening to the final grand tour of the season, which is living up to expectations.

Brutal climbs and searing heat have made life tough for the peloton, who will no doubt be delighted to reach the first rest day.

The riders will transfer south during the rest day before the race resumes in cooler conditions on Tuesday.

It also gives everyone a chance to catch their breath and reflect on what has been an enthralling first week.

O’Connor leads the way

Ben O’Connor is currently priced at 3.00 to win the Vuelta a Espana after bursting into the lead with a victory on Stage 6.

It came as a huge surprise that a rider like O’Connor was allowed to go solo, and the Australian took full advantage.

The Decathlon-AG2R La Mondiale rider built up a lead of almost five minutes following the win, to make him the man to beat.

Primoz Roglic, who was the hot fancy heading into the Vuelta has managed to claw some time back, but there is still work to be done.

Roglic responded with an impressive win on Stage 8, but is still 3mins 53secs behind O’Connor heading into the second week.

The Slovenian is priced at 3.60 to win the Vuelta, and after winning the race three times already, he has the credential to close the gap.

Yates puts himself in contention

Adam Yates showed his class when dominating in the high mountains on Stage 9.

The UAE Team Emirates rider went solo to win the stage and move himself up in the general classification standings.

Yates remains 5mins 30 secs behind O’Connor, but two weeks of racing to come, he is still in the hunt.

The Englishman can be backed at 11.00 to win the Vuelta.

Richard Carapaz is also in the mix after finishing second behind Yates on Stage 9.

It was another strong ride from the Ecuadorian to move him to third place on the GC, 4mins 32secs behind O’Connor.

Carapaz can be backed at 6.00 to add the Vuelta to his Giro d’Italia win.

Enric Mas is riding well and is just three seconds behind Carapaz. The Movistar rider is 4.00 to win the Vuelta.

Van Aert hunting stages

The first week of racing has been a good one for Wout Van Aert, who has managed to pick up two stage wins so far.

With so much elevation at this year’s Vuelta, there has not been too many opportunities for the likes of Van Aert.

However the Visma-Lease a Bike rider has looked strong with the two stages wins and will be targeting more.

Van Aert can be backed at 1.25 to win 3+ stages, while Roglic, who also has two stage wins, can be backed at 1.40.