Larne ace reveals why Irish League sides have adopted a new mindset for European battles
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Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Who is Oscar Onley? When did Scottish Tour de France star start cycling, where is he from and what has he won?
British cyclist Oscar Onley. | BELGA MAG/AFP via Getty Images It seems that there's a new Scottish sporting star. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Scotland is no stranger to cycling success - in Sir Chris Hoy we have one of Britain's greatest ever Olympians. But as a country we are less triumphant when it gomes to the Herculean world of road racing and the epic grand tours that take in hundreds of miles of European roads each year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In fact, no Scottish cyclist has ever finished in on the podium in the Tour de France - the world's most famous road race which, in 2027, will actually start in Scotland. But those watching this years have seen a Scot in the leading pack, with Oscar Onley in fourth with just a few days to go until the big finish in Paris. Here's everything you need to know about him. Where does Oscar Onley come from? Onley was actually born in London, but considers himself Scottish as he was brought up in the Borders. He grew up in Kelso where he attended Longridge Towers School and Kelso High School. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad When did Oscar Onley start cycling? Onley started cycling competitively at the age of just 10 when he joined local club the Kelso Wheelers. He was also a keen cross country runner but chose to dedicate his time to cycling when he turned 18 and joined the junior ranks. When did Oscar Onley become a professional cyclist? Onley turned professional in 2019 when he signed a two year contract with the Van Rysel-AG2R La Mondiale development team - a atint that was destined to be interrupted by the global pandemic. Who does Oscar Onley currently race for? Onley now races for the UCI WorldTeam Team Picnic–PostNL, who he joined in 2023, having signed a five-year contract at the end of 2022. What have been Oscar Onley's career highlights so far? Onley had only taken part in two grand tour races prior to this year's Tour de France, abandoning the 2023 Vuelta a España after breaking his collarbone in a crash, and finishing 39th in last year's Tour de France. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad His first individual professional win came on on Stage Five of the 2024 Tour Down Under, which he ended up coming fourth in. He did better still in the 2024 Tour of Britain where he came second overall and won the Youth Classification. Onley was also the highest ranked British rider at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, where he came 16th. What does Oscar Onley have to do to take a podium place in the Tour de France? With just three stages to go Onley is in fourth position, a relatively distant 11m23s behind leader Tadej Podacar. Second placed Jonas Vingegaard is also uncatchable, but third placed Florian Lipowitz is just 22 seconds ahead of the Scot.
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Man Utd scout versatile 6ft5in centre-back likened to Rodri as potential Harry Maguire transfer replacement
A long-term United star could be on the move again this window To Hell and back Man Utd scout versatile 6ft5in centre-back likened to Rodri as potential Harry Maguire transfer replacement Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) MANCHESTER UNITED and Bayern Munich are tracking a towering 20-year-old with the potential to be the best centre-back Norway has ever produced. The Red Devils scouted Brann's Eivind Helland in his side's 3-1 win against Viking Stavanger earlier this month. 4 Norway defender Eivind Helland is being tracked by Man Utd and Bayern Munich Credit: Getty 4 Helland was watched by a Man Utd scout earlier this month Credit: Getty And the Bundesliga champions followed suit by dispatching an official to watch the Norwegian Under-21 international in his side's 2-0 defeat to KFUM in Oslo on Saturday. Helland, who was compared to Ballon d'Or winner Rodri by Brann coach Freyr Alexandersson before the season began, blotted his copybook by getting sent off in the latter. A frustrated swipe at a KFUM striker in stoppage time brought him a second yellow card. Ruben Amorim has prioritised other positions in his recruitment drive to bring more goals to Old Trafford this summer. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL ON THE LUKE OUT Shaw ready to quit Utd with injury-hit ace offered lucrative Saudi swansong But Helland could be being lined up by the club as a long-term replacement for Harry Maguire, who has only one year left on his contract. Likewise, Bayern are looking to revamp their options in the position after signing Jonathan Tah from Bayer Leverkusen earlier this summer. Speculation over Kim Min-jae's future in Munich continues to swirl following a disappointing, injury-riddled season, while Hiroki Ito was rarely fit during his first year at the club. United and Bayern are unlikely to be the only European giants monitoring Helland, who captained Norway's Under-21s when they thrashed Wales 4-0 in June. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK Borussia Dortmund and Red Bull Salzburg, two of Erling Haaland's former clubs, are aware of Helland's potential with the Austrian side having done plenty of homework on him ahead of Wednesday's qualifier in Bergen. Helland's height makes him a commanding figure in both penalty areas with former Norway international turned TV pundit Jan Age Fjortoft warning Salzburg of the defender's "huge presence" this week. Man United Keep, Bench, Sell: Onana, De Ligt, Shaw The youngster is not afraid to put his physical attributes to good use when defending and remains composed in possession when bringing the ball out from the back. His ability to deliver accurate, long-range passes to the wings is another eye-catching attribute. Meanwhile, United goalkeeper Radek Vitek could be on the move again later this month with Sturm Graz touted as a possible destination for a third loan stint. The 21-year-old, who has had spells at Accrington Stanley and Blau Weiss Linz, did not make the trip to Stockholm for United's first pre-season friendly against Leeds and is unlikely to travel to the United States with Amorim's senior squad. Sturm, who won the Austrian title last season, are looking for a keeper after their number one Daniil Khudyakov suffered an injury. 4 4 TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Joe Rothwell urges Rangers to kill off Panathinaikos tie
The 30-year-old midfielder, signed from Bournemouth this summer, made his Gers debut in the 2-0 win over the 10-man Greek side at Ibrox on Tuesday night. Russell Martin's men struggled for the most part before decisive goals from 19-year-old Findlay Curtis and debutant Djeidi Gassama, either side of Panathinaikos right-back Giorgos Vagiannidis receiving his marching orders after picking up the second of two yellow cards for a foul on Curtis. Ahead of the second leg in Athens – which follows a friendly against Middlesbrough at Ibrox on Saturday – Rothwell was asked if the Light Blues can feel in command of the tie. 'I think we have to now, yeah,' he said. 'Obviously, 2-0, it's a good scoreline, especially in this format. 'So we'll go out there and obviously we won't be looking to defend it. We'll try and go out there and win the game and score as many goals as we can. 'It (2-0 win) can be huge. I think he (Martin) said in his press conference, it was not going to be a season-defining game but we wanted to go out there and put a show on and really show how he wants to do things. 'I think we managed to do that, controlled the game as we like to do and just a bit disappointed that we didn't go and probably kill the game off a little bit more.' The Light Blues should have been behind before Curtis opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, with Martin having to settle his new charges down at the interval before an improved performance in the second half. Rothwell said: 'He said to just stick to what we do. 'We went away from it a little bit, in terms of how we want to play, and in the first 10, 15 (minutes) I think we started the game really well and then probably came away from it a little bit. 'And then obviously with them going down to 10 men, we've managed to control the game and probably disappointed we didn't probably get a few more in the end, but we can't complain, it's a win and we take a lead over there.' Rothwell was impressed and inspired by his first taste of a European night at Ibrox. He said: 'Loved it. Obviously you hear stories from the outside, but when you actually get out there and experience it, it's fantastic and I'm sure the fans are going to be behind us in every single game and we'll need them. 'There'll be times where it might be a bit tough for us, but I'm sure they'll get behind us and then get us over the finish line. 'I think you can really see what the manager wants us to do and how we want to play and I thought it was obviously another good test for us and we came through it in the end.'
