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Oscar Onley’s road to the Tour de France has seen more twists and turns than a zigzagging hairpin-bend climb through the Alps or Pyrenees.
The 21-year-old Scot, who is set to make his debut in the world’s most famous cycle race, is among the eight-strong roster for Netherlands-based Team dsm-firmenich PostNL that will join the Grand Depart from Florence in Italy on Saturday morning.
Onley is widely tipped for a bright future as a professional road cyclist. He burst onto the scene in 2022, turning heads thanks to his fierce tussles with Danish two-time Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard at the CRO Race.
The Kelso rider has continued to prove his pedigree, making his La Vuelta a Espana debut last August and then taking his first individual WorldTour win with a stage victory at the Santos Tour Down Under in January.
Yet, the past year has been fraught with challenges for Onley, who has fractured his collarbone three times in eight months. Here, Mail Sport gives the lowdown on this rising Scottish star of the sport.
Oscar Onley, just 21 years old, is the only Scot due to appear in this year’s Tour de France
Onley has been picking up more experience this year, competing in the Tour de Suisse
THE EARLY YEARS
Having spent his childhood in the Scottish Borders playing football, cricket and tennis, Onley joined his local cycling club Kelso Wheelers aged 10. As a youngster, he was also a keen cross-country runner.
While he raced bikes at youth level, it wasn’t until joining the junior and under-23 ranks that he began to take his cycling more seriously.
Although a strong time-trialist and climber on the road, his lack of suitability as a track rider – due to his self-described ‘tiny’ frame – meant that he didn’t follow the traditional pathway through the British Cycling programme.
Instead, echoing the route taken by former Scottish riders Philippa York (who competed as Robert Millar) in 1979 and David Millar during the mid-1990s, Onley chose to explore the development team racing scene in Europe.
In 2019, after a successful block competing in France with Scottish Cycling, he signed with Van Rysel-AG2R La Mondiale and enjoyed a promising stint with the feeder squad.
Scottish Cycling endurance coach Evan Oliphant, who represented Team Scotland at three Commonwealth Games, worked with Onley at junior and under-23 level.
He told Mail Sport: ‘Oscar got some results over in France at hilly stage races and that caught the eye of the AG2R development team. Out of everyone I have coached, he is probably one of the hardest working – he is very determined.’
Onley joined Development Team DSM in 2021, where he spent two seasons which included that breakout performance at the CRO Race, before stepping up to WorldTour level with the now Team dsm-firmenich PostNL last year.
JOINING THE BIG LEAGUES
While an individual win eluded Onley in 2023, he did claim a clutch of top five finishes. His selection for La Vuelta a Espana marked his Grand Tour debut, where he played a key role in the team time trial victory on the opening stage.
Onley crashed out of the race on stage two, suffering a broken collarbone. He built back up through the autumn and early winter, returning to blistering form at the Santos Tour Down Under in January this year.
It was there, at Willunga Hill on stage five, that he took his first WorldTour win, holding off big guns such as Stephen Williams, Julian Alaphilippe and Simon Yates.
Testament to his talent and expected career trajectory, Onley has signed to Team dsm-firmenich PostNL through to 2027.
THE COMEBACK KID
Onley’s La Vuelta a Espana debut was bittersweet, going from the high of winning the team time trial on the opening stage to the low of breaking his collarbone a day later.
He fractured his collarbone again while competing at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race in January, followed by a third collarbone break at the Amstel Gold Race in April.
In a recent blog for his team’s website, Onley revealed: ‘The break in April was a lot more difficult for me mentally. I had big goals for the upcoming races with the team which made it harder.
‘Seeing all your team-mates, friends and peers racing and getting good results at that time while you’re sat on the sofa and can’t really do anything; that was a pretty tough period.’
After almost two months away from racing, Onley was back in action at the mountainous Tour de Suisse earlier this month, finishing a credible eighth in the general classification (GC).
Resilience is honed through adversity and the grit he has shown in overcoming this taxing spell will prove useful over the next three weeks.
Onley has been tipped for a bright future and said he was ‘excited’ by competing in the Tour
TOUR DE FRANCE EXPECTATION
Matt Winston, the sports director/race coach for Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, has stated that the main goal at this year’s Tour will be targeting stage wins rather than chasing the GC.
The team’s strength on the hilly and mountain stages will come from French star Romain Bardet, competing in his 11th and final Tour de France, as well as 2017 KOM jersey winner Warren Barguil, alongside Onley and fellow debutant Frank van den Broek.
There is no shortage of brutal climbs in this year’s Tour, with an early test of the legs coming at the hors categorie Col du Galibier on stage four. The arrival into the Pyrenees on stage 14 includes the famed Col du Tourmalet and a summit finish at Saint-Lary-Soulan Pla d’Adet.
Onley is a skilled and punchy climber. Nor is he afraid to seize opportunities. He has said previously: ‘I’m someone who loves a breakaway.’
Speaking to Mail Sport, Onley was in good spirits ahead of today’s Grand Depart. He said: ‘I’m really excited to be starting this Tour de France. It is my second Grand Tour and hopefully I get further than the last one.
‘It is a childhood dream to be starting here. I grew up watching the Tour every year and now to be a part of it is something really special.’
He remained positive despite recent setbacks. ‘It has not been the easiest 12 months,’ admitted Onley. ‘Coming from three collarbone breaks, it has been a rollercoaster of some high highs and low lows.
‘But, as you say, it builds resilience and I have shown myself that I can come back stronger after each break. I’m quite confident in the training I have done over the last few months that I’m in a good place coming into this Tour.’
A BRIGHT FUTURE
Onley might be heading into the Tour de France as someone who is little known outside of cycling circles, but chances are things won’t stay that way for long.
‘We are going for stages as a team,’ he said, when asked about his role. ‘I hope on the harder mountain days that I can be up there. I will be looking for breaks throughout the race.
‘It is quite hard to say just now what stages breaks are going to be allowed to get away but, when those days come, I will try to make the most of that opportunity and I hope to be up there and animating the race when the terrain suits me.’
Onley acknowledged it is ‘a big moment to be the first Scottish rider in quite a few years to be starting the Tour, adding: ‘I don’t know if there is a stage that I’m most looking forward to. I guess stage 21 when it is done, that will be nice.
‘But, no, I’m looking forward to the mountain days and just trying to take any opportunities that come my way. Trying to animate the race and show my face as much as possible. And trying to pick up solid results along the way.’
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