Latest news with #TeamPicnicPostNL
Scotsman
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Scots cyclist 'honoured' to be up there with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard
Oscar Onley's fourth place finish at Tour de France equals high GC finish of Philippa York 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... As grounded as he is talented, Oscar Onley has achieved something remarkable over the last three weeks but could probably still stroll along Princes Street unrecognised. The Kelso cyclist has just battled the world's best at the Tour de France and achieved the highest finish by a Scot since the mid-Eighties. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Onley, 22, went wheel to wheel with the likes of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard across 21 brutal stages and finished in fourth place in the general classification. In doing so he matched the achievement of compatriot Philippa York (then known as Robert Millar) in 1984. Team Picnic PostNL team's British rider Oscar Onley cycles to the finish line of the 19th stage of the 112th edition of the Tour de France. | AFP via Getty Images This is just Onley's second Tour de France but when he completed the race in Paris on Sunday he was only 12 minutes and 12 seconds behind Slovenia's Pogačar, the UAE Team Emirates-XRG cyclist winning for the fourth time. 'I'm just enjoying what I'm doing and to be able to be up there with Pogačar and Vingegaard is an honour,' Onley said mid-race as he vied for a stage win alongside the sport's two giants. He was to be denied this year but the Team Picnic PostNL rider can point to a third-place finish in stage seven as a breakthrough moment and there were also a couple of fourth and fifth-place finishes along the way. But it was the way he came through the mountain stages that marked him out as a real contender. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I guess this is a really big moment in my career. I don't really realise it yet but I think just from talking to other riders in the bunch, going forward, we have something to build on and an exciting project for the future,' Onley told CyclingWeekly. 'It's definitely sparked a bit of a dream I guess.' Team Picnic PostNL team's British rider Oscar Onley, left, UAE Team Emirates - XRG team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar, wearing the leader's yellow jersey, and Team Visma - Lease a bike team's Danish rider Jonas Vingegaard on the ascent of Col de la Loze during the 18th stage of the Tour de France. | POOL/AFP via Getty Images Born in London, Onley moved to the Scottish Borders as a child and attended Kelso High School. He joined local club Kelso Wheelers but also showed an aptitude for cross-country running before committing to cycling. It has proved a wise choice. He is now team leader for Picnic PostNL and his future looks dazzlingly bright. 'We never really had the plan to go for GC [general classification] in the beginning,' Onley told ITV after the race. 'It was more just see how it goes. To be honest, I've never even thought about a top five in the Tour before, so to get it in my first try in GC is quite incredible and I'm excited for the future. 'It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races as well as these are the top guys and in top shape in the biggest race. So if I can do it here then why not in other races? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Oscar Onley cycles to the finish line of the 13th stage of the Tour de France, a 10.9km individual time trial between Loudenvielle and Peyragudes, in the Pyrenees. | AFP via Getty Images 'There was no pressure from the team. They've handled that really well because I think as soon as you say you are going for GC, there's a lot more attention on you. I've just taken every day as it's come really and not made any extra stress as the Tour is already stressful enough, just to ride and compete.'
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Onley the 'introverted extrovert' riding high
Team Picnic-Post NL describe Oscar Onley as "an introverted extrovert" who enjoys "lo-fi rap vibes", playing golf and eating risotto. Scottish Cycling reported how he "would be targeting stages, with the general classification being a secondary aim" in his second Tour de France. After finishing fourth overall in the standings, the 22-year-old from Kelso told how his achievement had sparked "a dream". By matching the achievement of compatriot Philippa York (then known as Robert Millar) in 1984, Onley equalled the best-ever finish by a Scottish rider. So who is the new exciting name in British cycling? And where can he go from here? 'Huge moment' as Onley matches Scottish record Tour fourth place Van Aert wins final stage as Pogacar seals Tour title Who is Oscar Onley? Those who follow cycling closely will know of Onley's steady progress since taking to the senior ranks in 2023 with his Dutch team. But his journey started in the Scottish Borders, when local club Kelso Wheelers' time trial route passed right by his front door and he got involved. Onley juggled lots of sports as a kid, particularly cross-country running, before committing to the bike. He described himself as "never the best" as a youngster, but as he grew physically his results picked up. His big breakthrough came at the Tour Down Under in 2024 when he won on the finish up Willunga Hill for his first professional victory. The Scot then managed second at the Tour of Britain. Amid all that he had to deal with two broken collarbones due to crashes. This year he has bounced back, and last month climbed on to the podium at the Tour de Suisse, winning stage five in the process. Forged in the rolling hills of the south of Scotland, Onley is most at home when the road gradient makes the legs strain and is based in the high mountains of Andorra. On the big behemoth mountain ranges, the Alps and Pyrenees, he has announced himself to a wider audience with a memorable Tour de France performance. 'It sparks a dream' - Onley reaction to finishing fourth in Tour Onley told ITV: "We never really had the plan to go for GC [general classification] in the beginning. It was more just see how it goes. "To be honest, I've never even thought about a top five in the Tour before, so to get it in my first try in GC is quite incredible and I'm excited for the future. "It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races as well as these are the top guys and in top shape in the biggest race. So if I can do it here then why not in other races? "There was no pressure from the team. They've handled that really well because I think as soon as you say you are going for GC, there's a lot more attention on you. I've just taken every day as it's come really and not made any extra stress as the Tour is already stressful enough, just to ride and compete. "I'm really happy with how myself and the team have managed these three weeks. I guess this is a really big moment in my career. I don't really realise it yet, but I think just with talking to other riders, going forward now we have something to build on and an exciting project for the future, and it sparks a bit of a dream I guess." What's next for Onley? Picnic-Post NL are entered in the seven-stage Tour de Pologne in Poland, which starts on 4 August, though a final entry list for riders is not yet confirmed. The Vuelta a Espana from 23 August is the next major event on the circuit.
BBC News
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Onley the 'introverted extravert' riding high
Team Picnic-Post NL describe, external Oscar Onley as "an introverted extrovert" who enjoys "lo-fi rap vibes", playing golf and eating Cycling reported, external how he "would be targeting stages, with the general classification being a secondary aim" in his second Tour de finishing fourth overall in the standings, the 22-year-old from Kelso told how his achievement had sparked "a dream".By matching the achievement of compatriot Philippa York (then known as Robert Millar) in 1984, Onley equalled the best-ever finish by a Scottish who is the new exciting name in British cycling? And where can he go from here? Who is Oscar Onley? Those who follow cycling closely will know of Onley's steady progress since taking to the senior ranks in 2023 with his Dutch his journey started in the Scottish Borders, when local club Kelso Wheelers' time trial route passed right by his front door and he got juggled lots of sports as a kid, particularly cross-country running, before committing to the described himself as "never the best" as a youngster, but as he grew physically his results picked big breakthrough came at the Tour Down Under in 2024 when he won on the finish up Willunga Hill for his first professional Scot then managed second at the Tour of Britain. Amid all that he had to deal with two broken collarbones due to year he has bounced back, and last month climbed on to the podium at the Tour de Suisse, winning stage five in the in the rolling hills of the south of Scotland, Onley is most at home when the road gradient makes the legs strain and is based in the high mountains of the big behemoth mountain ranges, the Alps and Pyrenees, he has announced himself to a wider audience with a memorable Tour de France performance. 'It sparks a dream' - Onley reaction to finishing fourth in Tour Onley told ITV: "We never really had the plan to go for GC [general classification] in the beginning. It was more just see how it goes."To be honest, I've never even thought about a top five in the Tour before, so to get it in my first try in GC is quite incredible and I'm excited for the future."It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races as well as these are the top guys and in top shape in the biggest race. So if I can do it here then why not in other races?"There was no pressure from the team. They've handled that really well because I think as soon as you say you are going for GC, there's a lot more attention on you. I've just taken every day as it's come really and not made any extra stress as the Tour is already stressful enough, just to ride and compete."I'm really happy with how myself and the team have managed these three weeks. I guess this is a really big moment in my career. I don't really realise it yet, but I think just with talking to other riders, going forward now we have something to build on and an exciting project for the future, and it sparks a bit of a dream I guess." What's next for Onley? Picnic-Post NL are entered in the seven-stage Tour de Pologne in Poland, which starts on 4 August, though a final entry list for riders is not yet Vuelta a Espana from 23 August is the next major event on the circuit.
BBC News
a day ago
- Sport
- BBC News
'Huge moment' as Onley matches Millar's Tour fourth place
Oscar Onley equalled the best-ever finish by a Scottish rider in the Tour de France and described his surprise overall fourth place as "a huge moment in my career" that "sparks a bit of a dream".The 22-year-old from Kelso, who matched compatriot Robert Millar's achievement in 1984, says a first attempt at chasing the top spots in general classification had been a secondary aim for Team Picnic-Post who had initially been targeting stage wins in his second Tour, told ITV Sport: "We never really had the plan to go for GC in the beginning. It was more just see how it goes." Onley added: "To be honest, I've never even thought about a top five in the Tour before, so to get it in my first try in GC is quite incredible and I'm excited for the future."After Slovenian Tadey Pogachar won his fourth Tour de France and Belgian Wout Van Aert winning the final stage in a rain-soaked Paris, Onley reflected on how he was able to compete with the top riders."It gives me a lot of confidence for the upcoming races as well as these are the top guys and in top shape in the biggest race," said the Scot now being dubbed the Kelso Comet."So if I can do it here then why not in other races?"Onley praised his team for a "really well-managed" three-week campaign."There was no pressure from the team," he said. "They've handled that really well because I think as soon as you say you are going for GC, there's a lot more attention on you."I've just taken every day as it's come really and not made any extra stress as the Tour is already stressful enough, just to ride and compete."I'm really happy with how myself and the team have managed this three weeks."Onley said he was finally able to "soak it all in" on the final climb of Montmartre and that it was "pretty special" to ride down the Champs Elysees to the finish."I guess this is a really big moment in my career," he said. "I don't really realise it yet, but I think just with talking to other riders, going forward now we have something to build on and an exciting project for the future and it sparks a bit of a dream I guess."
Glasgow Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Move over track riders, there's a new cycling superstar on the scene
Whether it be Sir Chris Hoy or Craig Maclean or Katie Archibald or Neah Evans, Scotland's biggest names on a bike have, without exception, felt most at home in the velodrome. It's meant that track riding has been, by some distance, the pre-eminent cycling discipline in this country, with it generally accepted that successful road riders hailed from overseas rather than Scottish shores. Road riders, and specifically Tour de France riders, were a foreign concept, in all senses of the phrase. But this year, everything has changed. For a number of seasons, Oscar Onley has been viewed as a very good young rider, with a heap of potential. In the first six months of 2025, he produced a several impressive results. Over the past three weeks, however, he's transformed himself into a superstar. It's impossible to overstate just how exceptional Onley's performance at this year's Tour de France, which ends today in Paris, has been. His fourth place finish in the general classification (GC), having come within touching distance of a podium finish, has to be considered one of the truly great performances by a Scottish athlete this century. This does, I realise, sound somewhat hyperbolic. But it's also true. What Onley has achieved, and how he's performed over the 3300-or-so kilometres of this year's Tour, is phenomenal and given how difficult it is to excel in the GC of the Tour de France, has exceeded even the most optimistic of predictions as to how the Scot could do in this race. Despite his relative inexperience - this is only his second Tour de France - Onley has continued to produce the goods day after day and, astonishingly, the 22-year-old seemed to get stronger, better and more formidable with every passing stage. Oscar Onley has made a real breakthrough in this year's Tour de France (Image: LOIC VENANCE/ Getty Images) The mark of a truly great grand tour rider is to be able to ride like they don't have thousands of kilometres in their legs. It's an almost impossible feat. Yet Onley has managed it with apparent ease. There's a few examples in the past three weeks that typify just how remarkable Onley's performance in this Tour has been. The first came in week one, on Stage 7, when Onley, riding for Team Picnic PostNL, grabbed a spot on the podium behind no less than the two best riders (by some margin) of contemporary road racing, Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard. For Onley's first Tour podium, he could not have been in more exalted company. The second came on Stage 16. The closing kilometres of the stage were up Mont Ventoux, which puts fear into even the most capable of riders. Despite Onley making his Tour de France debut last year - he finished a creditable 39th in his maiden Tour - he'd never ridden up the iconic Mont Ventoux with it being omitted from the 2024 race. So I was, I admit, somewhat concerned as to how he'd cope with a climb that has broken some of cycling's greats. There was, it turned out, nothing to worry about. Onley finished comfortably within the top 15 in the stage, less than two-and-half minutes down on the stage winner. And the third example came on Stage 18, on Thursday. On what's called the 'queen' stage, and which includes three epic climbs, Onley was outstanding. Merely citing his fourth place finish in the stage fails to do justice to what was a remarkable ride. With a kilometre to go, on Col de la Loz, Pogacar and Vingegaard decided they would try to close the gap on the leader, Ben O'Connor. Only one rider was able to go with Pogacar and Vingegaard, and that rider was Onley. To see the Scot looking so completely at home alongside the two best road riders of this generation was truly a sight to behold. These three individual stage performances may stand out but it's Onley's ride overall that's been most breathtaking. His top-40 finish in the general classification standings in last year's Tour, as well as a number of impressive results since his Tour debut, certainly indicated that he had the potential to be a very good grand tour rider as he gained experience and matured but even he, when I spoke to him for Herald Sport ahead of this Tour, asserted he believed going for stage wins rather than a tilt at GC honours was a more realistic aim this year. Whether he truly believed he wasn't ready for a GC push, or was just keeping expectations low, we'll never know. But however quietly confident he felt going into this year's Tour, it does seem that he's exceeded even his most lofty of aspirations. (Image: Getty Images) To put into context what Onley has achieved over the past three weeks, we must look at the history of Scots in the Tour de France. A handful of Scottish men rode the Tour in the 1950s and 60s but it wasn't until the 1980s and Philippa York, who was known back then as Robert Millar, who really put road racing on the map in Scotland. York was crowned King of the Mountains in 1984, as well as finishing fourth in the GC that year. She rode the Tour several more times in the 1980s and into the 90s but never matched that fourth-place finish. David Millar won four Tour stages between 2000 and 2012, but by the end of three weeks of racing, never troubled the GC standings. And this year, Onley was joined by his compatriot, Sean Flynn, who also produced a creditable performance to finish well inside the top 150 in the GC. So York's fourth-place finish in the Tour's GC standings, a whopping 41 years ago, was, until today, the single best-ever result by a Scot. For Onley to have matched this at the age of only 22, and in only his second Tour, is truly mind-boggling. What the Kelso man has achieved over the past three weeks is not only a huge personal achievement, though, it also has far-reaching significance in terms of the impact it could potentially have on road racing in this country. In the space of only three weeks, Onley has single-handedly reminded people in this country that track cycling is not the only discipline on two wheels in which Scots can be successful. I'm not going quite so far as to suggest this one result will create a boom in cycling in this country, but the value of having a successful grand tour rider, and particularly a successful Tour de France rider, cannot be underestimated. It's not a given that Onley's career trajectory will be consistently upwards from here, but the early signs couldn't be more promising. The fact that the 2027 [[Tour de France]] will visit Scotland - the Grand Depart begins in Edinburgh - is perfect timing for both Onley and for the sport in this country. Only time will tell quite how effectively, and how quickly, Onley is able to build upon this year's Tour performance. But before looking towards the future, we should just enjoy what was a truly astonishing, and history-making, Scottish sporting performance.
