Double injury blow for Netcompany Ineos as Onley and Tarling crash out of Dauphiné

Tarling was the first rider to go down. The Welshman crashed while riding in the early breakaway and was unable to continue. Medical examinations later confirmed that he had fractured his collarbone.

The injury is a major setback for Tarling, who had been hoping to earn a place in the team’s Tour de France squad.

Onley crashed later in the stage on the final descent, shortly before the approach to the Côte de Crest Voland. Matteo Jorgenson, who witnessed the incident, said the descent was “really tricky” and admitted that seeing Onley go over the edge of the road had “spooked” him.

Despite the severity of the crash, Onley was able to remount and reach the finish. He crossed the line in 127th place, 29 minutes and 17 seconds behind stage winner Maxim Van Gils of Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe, before undergoing medical checks.

Netcompany Ineos later confirmed that Onley had suffered a dislocated shoulder and wounds to his legs. He will not start stage seven.

“Both riders will remain under the care of our medical team for further treatment,” the team said in a statement, adding that it wished them a speedy recovery.

The two crashes compounded an already difficult stage for Netcompany Ineos. Carlos Rodríguez and Kévin Vauquelin both lost time to several of their general classification rivals, leaving the team with considerable damage to assess ahead of its next major objectives.

Bahrain Victorious leader Santiago Buitrago was also involved in a crash. The Colombian finished 27 minutes behind the stage winner, although the extent of his injuries had not yet been confirmed. 

It was another painful setback for Buitrago, who had already been forced to abandon the Giro d’Italia following a crash on stage two last month.