British cyclist Oscar Onley will not compete in next month’s Tour de France after sustaining a shoulder injury, his team Netcompany-Ineos confirmed on Thursday.
The 22-year-old rider, who finished ninth overall in last year’s Tour de France and won the young rider classification, was expected to be a key part of the British squad for the three-week Grand Tour starting June 29 in Florence, Italy.
Netcompany-Ineos announced the withdrawal in a brief statement but did not disclose specific details about how the injury occurred or the expected recovery timeline. Onley had been building form throughout the spring season, with notable performances at Paris-Nice and the Tour de Suisse.
The loss of Onley represents a significant blow to the team’s general classification ambitions. The Scottish rider emerged as one of Britain’s most promising stage racing talents during his breakthrough 2023 campaign, which also included a stage victory at the Tour Down Under.
Team officials have not yet announced a replacement rider for the Tour de France roster. The squad will now likely restructure its leadership around remaining riders including Carlos Rodriguez and Tom Pidcock.
Analysis: Onley’s absence removes a versatile climber and time trialist who had shown the ability to compete with the sport’s elite in high-altitude stages. His ninth-place finish in last year’s Tour, achieved at age 21, marked the best debut performance by a British rider since Chris Froome. The injury timing is particularly unfortunate given Onley’s trajectory toward potential podium contention in future editions.
Sources:
– BBC Sport: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/articles/cyv08e2lr17o
Source: BBC Sport – Original article
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Story synopsis gathered from: BBC Sport — source
