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The Star
15-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Cycling-Young Scot Onley surprises with top finishes in Tour de France
FILE PHOTO: Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 5 - Caen to Caen - Caen, France - July 9, 2025 Team Picnic PostNL's Oscar Onley in action during the stage 5 time trial REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo TOULOUSE, France (Reuters) -Scotland's Oscar Onley has impressed during the first week of the Tour de France, sitting seventh overall after 10 stages at just 22 years old. The Kelso-born rider delivered standout performances as he claimed third and fourth, in stage seven and four respectively, on the wheels of defending champion Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) and two-time Tour winner Jonas Vingegaard (Visma-Lease a Bike). "Mur-de-Bretagne (on stage seven) was really circled as a stage that could suit me but you also have to be realistic that Pogacar, in these kinds of finishes, is in a different league," Onley told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. "I'm just enjoying what I'm doing and to be able to be up there with Pogacar and Vingegaard is an honour." The Picnic PostNL rider also secured sixth place in stage two, adding to an already impressive tally of three top-10 finishes in his second appearance at cycling's most prestigious race. "I was hoping to get a good result, but a good result was maybe a top 10, top five from the bunch. But now I've kind of shown that I'm a little bit higher up and I can set my goals a little bit higher," he said. Onley, who won a stage at last month's Tour de Suisse and claimed third overall, has shown consistency in World Tour one-week races this year. However, his main aim remains a stage win on the Tour de France. "I think it's still the main goal. There are going to be a lot more opportunities coming up in the next couple of weeks. I just have to take those opportunities when they come," he said. "I didn't come here with any ambitions for the GC (general classification). If there's an opportunity to slide in the breakaway one day, then I'll try and take it." The British rider is one minute and 18 seconds behind Matteo Jorgenson (Visma-Lease a Bike) who currently sits fifth. "I think a top five would be something really special, but I don't know if that's really possible," he said, adding that the experience is bolstering his confidence as a potential Grand Tour contender. "I think that's the goal in the next couple of years. And now I'm starting to realize that maybe it's a little bit more possible than I thought." The first high mountain stage in the Pyrenees on Thursday shouldgive some insight into Onley's strength in longer climbs. (Reporting by Vincent DaheronEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Edinburgh Reporter
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Edinburgh Reporter
Capital ace Sean saddles up for Tour de France
The iconic Tour de France cycle race begins on Saturday from Lille with an Edinburgh involvement through Sean Flynn's attachment to Team Picnic Post NL whom he joined in 2023. The 25-year-old former Scotland Commonwealth Games rep first became attracted to the sport from watching some downhill mountain biking and joined Edinburgh Road Club aged around 10. Ever since accolades have flowed for an individual noted for multi discipline performances on two wheels. For example in 2016 Sean won British youth titles on road and mountain bike and a year later was national junior cyclo cross champion. In 2018 he struck bronze in the team event at the Youth Olympics. Perhaps his best year so far, however, came in 2023. Having successfully transitioned to the pro ranks Sean won a stage of the Vuelta Espana but there is no doubt Sean will want to impress team bosses over the next three weeks with the Tour starting in Edinburgh in 2027. 'I love the variations in races and the tactics, the options that gives you and the team to be able to do well, by being smart and working well together' he says, adding 'for the racing I really like the team aspect and that really drew me in as I'm a sociable person.' Making the step up from the under-23 ranks to the elite peloton comes with its challenges, setbacks, and hard moments but Sean is aware of what still lies ahead of him, and he's excited for everything that being a professional cyclist encompasses. 'It's all the start of the next step, it's not like I've made it yet. I know it's going to be hard but I'm really looking forward to it, getting stuck in and working hard so that hopefully I can make it all the way to the top.' Joining Sean on the eight rider Team Picnic Post NL rota will be Kelso's Oscar Onley who surpassed himself by winning a stage of the Tour of Switzerland three weeks ago and finishing third overall. One source close to the pro cycling scene said: 'Sean will probably be riding for the other team members but is capable of doing well if he gets into a breakaway on a stage.' Piuro – Suisse – cycling – cyclisme – radsport – wielrennen – Van Den Broek Frank (NED / Team Picnic PostNL) pictured during Tour de Suisse 2025 stage 4 from Heiden to Piuro (Valchiavenna) (193.2km) 18/06/2025 – Photo: Vincent Kalut/PN/Cor Vos © 2025 Like this: Like Related
Glasgow Times
05-07-2025
- Sport
- Glasgow Times
Onley: It's a good and a bad thing knowing just how tough the Tour is
Maybe, just maybe, a rider is better-off not knowing what lies ahead when they're embarking on cycling's most prestigious Grand Tour, but Oscar Onley doesn't have that privilege anymore. When he lines up this weekend at the Tour de France, the Scot knows exactly what's coming. It's three weeks and 3320km of bike racing and, for good or for bad, Onley knows exactly what the race will entail, and how it will feel. And he knows it's not going to be easy. "I'm really excited to be racing the Tour again. This year, I come in with a few less unknowns and I have a better idea of what I need to do,' he says. 'During the three weeks of racing, you just have to accept that you're going to have bad days and certain stages are going to be very, very tough. 'I know quite how hard those last few days of the race are, so that maybe makes it a little bit more daunting. 'There are upsides of knowing what to expect because I can prepare myself, but there's also downsides because I'm well aware of just how tough a race the Tour is.' Over the past few years, Onley has transitioned from a young rider with plenty of potential to a World Tour team rider who is riding the biggest races in the cycling calendar. (Image: @Dario Belingheri/@Getty Images) The 22-year-old from Kelso, who rides for Team Picnic PostNL, made his Tour de France debut last summer, making history by becoming the first Scottish-developed rider since Robert Millar three decades previously to ride the world's greatest bike race. Onley applied himself admirably in his maiden Tour, ultimately finishing tenth in the youth classification and 39th in the general classification. Last year's Tour was followed by a second-place finish in the general classification at the Tour of Britain, with Onley cementing his status as a bona fide world-class road racer. 2025 has seen Onley continue to build his resumé, leading to the Scot once again be selected in Team Picnic PostNL's Tour de France squad. Onley may still be only 22 years old but a year makes quite a difference at the sharp end of elite sport and the Scot admits he feels like a considerably more experienced rider this summer compared to the rookie who made his Tour debut last year. "This year I go into the Tour having gained so much more experience, not just from last year's Tour, but from other races too. The different situations that I've been in all add up so it means that whenever I find myself in a certain position, there's more chance of me knowing how to handle it,' he says. 'And physically, I feel good. Towards the end of last season, I felt like I'd stepped-up physically - doing these hard races builds your engine and makes you more resilient each year. "This season, I feel like I've earned a little bit more respect from the other riders. 'I've been talking to some of the bigger riders and competing against them week in, week out, and you start to realise that actually you are at this level and you deserve to be here. So I definitely feel less daunted this year.' The 2025 Tour will begin in Lille and will remain within France for the entire three weeks, finishing in Paris on the 27th of July. Onley may feel physically and mentally in peak shape but given this race is one of the hardest physical tests on the planet, he's under no illusions as to how close to his limit he'll be pushed. The lessons learnt from last year's race, though, will be invaluable as he navigates the ups-and-downs that inevitably come with a race of this length. 'The biggest thing I took from last year is remembering that everyone's tired. Everyone, when they wake up each day, is hurting,' he says. 'Last year, there were times I'd wake up and be on my hands and knees just praying to get through the day. But actually, even in the last week, I was quite competitive which is a reminder that everyone's feeling so tired - you can quickly forget that and start to believe that you're the only one who's feeling bad, but that's really not the case. 'You just have to not get too worried about the harder moments and know there's better days coming.' Onley's highlight of the 2024 Tour was his fifth-place finish on Stage 17 and while observers on these shores lauded the fact that a Scottish rider was competing with the world's best for a stage win, Onley plays down the achievement and insists it merely served to increase his appetite for greater success this time around. With Robert Millar and David Millar the only Scottish riders ever to have won stages in the Tour, it would be no mean feat for Onley to add his name to this list but he goes into this year's Tour with the belief that he cannot just compete but, on his day, beat the very best on the planet. And his current form - in the recent Tour de Suisse, Onley won stage five on his way to finishing third in the general classification - suggests a Tour stage win is an entirely realistic goal. 'There's a huge difference between being top five in a stage and winning a stage. Nobody remembers who's fifth on stage 17 of the 2024 Tour but people do remember when you win a stage,' he says. 'Of course it'll be tough, but I definitely believe I can get some stage wins. I'm not sure I would turn up if I didn't believe I could do well. I don't want to slog away for three weeks and just end up with a mediocre GC placing - I would rather pick my days and go hard for stage wins. 'When you do these big races, you have to believe in yourself and believe in the work you've done and I do believe that I can get good results over the next three weeks.'
The Herald Scotland
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald Scotland
Onley: It's a good and a bad thing knowing just how tough the Tour is
When he lines up this weekend at the Tour de France, the Scot knows exactly what's coming. It's three weeks and 3320km of bike racing and, for good or for bad, Onley knows exactly what the race will entail, and how it will feel. And he knows it's not going to be easy. "I'm really excited to be racing the Tour again. This year, I come in with a few less unknowns and I have a better idea of what I need to do,' he says. 'During the three weeks of racing, you just have to accept that you're going to have bad days and certain stages are going to be very, very tough. 'I know quite how hard those last few days of the race are, so that maybe makes it a little bit more daunting. 'There are upsides of knowing what to expect because I can prepare myself, but there's also downsides because I'm well aware of just how tough a race the Tour is.' Over the past few years, Onley has transitioned from a young rider with plenty of potential to a World Tour team rider who is riding the biggest races in the cycling calendar. (Image: @Dario Belingheri/@Getty Images) The 22-year-old from Kelso, who rides for Team Picnic PostNL, made his Tour de France debut last summer, making history by becoming the first Scottish-developed rider since Robert Millar three decades previously to ride the world's greatest bike race. Onley applied himself admirably in his maiden Tour, ultimately finishing tenth in the youth classification and 39th in the general classification. Last year's Tour was followed by a second-place finish in the general classification at the Tour of Britain, with Onley cementing his status as a bona fide world-class road racer. 2025 has seen Onley continue to build his resumé, leading to the Scot once again be selected in Team Picnic PostNL's Tour de France squad. Onley may still be only 22 years old but a year makes quite a difference at the sharp end of elite sport and the Scot admits he feels like a considerably more experienced rider this summer compared to the rookie who made his Tour debut last year. "This year I go into the Tour having gained so much more experience, not just from last year's Tour, but from other races too. The different situations that I've been in all add up so it means that whenever I find myself in a certain position, there's more chance of me knowing how to handle it,' he says. 'And physically, I feel good. Towards the end of last season, I felt like I'd stepped-up physically - doing these hard races builds your engine and makes you more resilient each year. "This season, I feel like I've earned a little bit more respect from the other riders. 'I've been talking to some of the bigger riders and competing against them week in, week out, and you start to realise that actually you are at this level and you deserve to be here. So I definitely feel less daunted this year.' The 2025 Tour will begin in Lille and will remain within France for the entire three weeks, finishing in Paris on the 27th of July. Onley may feel physically and mentally in peak shape but given this race is one of the hardest physical tests on the planet, he's under no illusions as to how close to his limit he'll be pushed. The lessons learnt from last year's race, though, will be invaluable as he navigates the ups-and-downs that inevitably come with a race of this length. 'The biggest thing I took from last year is remembering that everyone's tired. Everyone, when they wake up each day, is hurting,' he says. 'Last year, there were times I'd wake up and be on my hands and knees just praying to get through the day. But actually, even in the last week, I was quite competitive which is a reminder that everyone's feeling so tired - you can quickly forget that and start to believe that you're the only one who's feeling bad, but that's really not the case. 'You just have to not get too worried about the harder moments and know there's better days coming.' Onley's highlight of the 2024 Tour was his fifth-place finish on Stage 17 and while observers on these shores lauded the fact that a Scottish rider was competing with the world's best for a stage win, Onley plays down the achievement and insists it merely served to increase his appetite for greater success this time around. With Robert Millar and David Millar the only Scottish riders ever to have won stages in the Tour, it would be no mean feat for Onley to add his name to this list but he goes into this year's Tour with the belief that he cannot just compete but, on his day, beat the very best on the planet. And his current form - in the recent Tour de Suisse, Onley won stage five on his way to finishing third in the general classification - suggests a Tour stage win is an entirely realistic goal. 'There's a huge difference between being top five in a stage and winning a stage. Nobody remembers who's fifth on stage 17 of the 2024 Tour but people do remember when you win a stage,' he says. 'Of course it'll be tough, but I definitely believe I can get some stage wins. I'm not sure I would turn up if I didn't believe I could do well. I don't want to slog away for three weeks and just end up with a mediocre GC placing - I would rather pick my days and go hard for stage wins. 'When you do these big races, you have to believe in yourself and believe in the work you've done and I do believe that I can get good results over the next three weeks.'
The National
05-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
Onley: It's a good and a bad thing knowing just how tough the Tour is
Maybe, just maybe, a rider is better-off not knowing what lies ahead when they're embarking on cycling's most prestigious Grand Tour, but Oscar Onley doesn't have that privilege anymore. When he lines up this weekend at the Tour de France, the Scot knows exactly what's coming. It's three weeks and 3320km of bike racing and, for good or for bad, Onley knows exactly what the race will entail, and how it will feel. And he knows it's not going to be easy. "I'm really excited to be racing the Tour again. This year, I come in with a few less unknowns and I have a better idea of what I need to do,' he says. 'During the three weeks of racing, you just have to accept that you're going to have bad days and certain stages are going to be very, very tough. 'I know quite how hard those last few days of the race are, so that maybe makes it a little bit more daunting. 'There are upsides of knowing what to expect because I can prepare myself, but there's also downsides because I'm well aware of just how tough a race the Tour is.' Over the past few years, Onley has transitioned from a young rider with plenty of potential to a World Tour team rider who is riding the biggest races in the cycling calendar. (Image: @Dario Belingheri/@Getty Images) The 22-year-old from Kelso, who rides for Team Picnic PostNL, made his Tour de France debut last summer, making history by becoming the first Scottish-developed rider since Robert Millar three decades previously to ride the world's greatest bike race. Onley applied himself admirably in his maiden Tour, ultimately finishing tenth in the youth classification and 39th in the general classification. Last year's Tour was followed by a second-place finish in the general classification at the Tour of Britain, with Onley cementing his status as a bona fide world-class road racer. 2025 has seen Onley continue to build his resumé, leading to the Scot once again be selected in Team Picnic PostNL's Tour de France squad. Onley may still be only 22 years old but a year makes quite a difference at the sharp end of elite sport and the Scot admits he feels like a considerably more experienced rider this summer compared to the rookie who made his Tour debut last year. "This year I go into the Tour having gained so much more experience, not just from last year's Tour, but from other races too. The different situations that I've been in all add up so it means that whenever I find myself in a certain position, there's more chance of me knowing how to handle it,' he says. 'And physically, I feel good. Towards the end of last season, I felt like I'd stepped-up physically - doing these hard races builds your engine and makes you more resilient each year. "This season, I feel like I've earned a little bit more respect from the other riders. 'I've been talking to some of the bigger riders and competing against them week in, week out, and you start to realise that actually you are at this level and you deserve to be here. So I definitely feel less daunted this year.' The 2025 Tour will begin in Lille and will remain within France for the entire three weeks, finishing in Paris on the 27th of July. Onley may feel physically and mentally in peak shape but given this race is one of the hardest physical tests on the planet, he's under no illusions as to how close to his limit he'll be pushed. The lessons learnt from last year's race, though, will be invaluable as he navigates the ups-and-downs that inevitably come with a race of this length. 'The biggest thing I took from last year is remembering that everyone's tired. Everyone, when they wake up each day, is hurting,' he says. 'Last year, there were times I'd wake up and be on my hands and knees just praying to get through the day. But actually, even in the last week, I was quite competitive which is a reminder that everyone's feeling so tired - you can quickly forget that and start to believe that you're the only one who's feeling bad, but that's really not the case. 'You just have to not get too worried about the harder moments and know there's better days coming.' Onley's highlight of the 2024 Tour was his fifth-place finish on Stage 17 and while observers on these shores lauded the fact that a Scottish rider was competing with the world's best for a stage win, Onley plays down the achievement and insists it merely served to increase his appetite for greater success this time around. With Robert Millar and David Millar the only Scottish riders ever to have won stages in the Tour, it would be no mean feat for Onley to add his name to this list but he goes into this year's Tour with the belief that he cannot just compete but, on his day, beat the very best on the planet. And his current form - in the recent Tour de Suisse, Onley won stage five on his way to finishing third in the general classification - suggests a Tour stage win is an entirely realistic goal. 'There's a huge difference between being top five in a stage and winning a stage. Nobody remembers who's fifth on stage 17 of the 2024 Tour but people do remember when you win a stage,' he says. 'Of course it'll be tough, but I definitely believe I can get some stage wins. I'm not sure I would turn up if I didn't believe I could do well. I don't want to slog away for three weeks and just end up with a mediocre GC placing - I would rather pick my days and go hard for stage wins. 'When you do these big races, you have to believe in yourself and believe in the work you've done and I do believe that I can get good results over the next three weeks.'
