'Everyone should try some haggis' - Oscar Onley welcomes Scottish Tour de France Grand Départ
Netcompany rider expects huge crowds, Scottish flags and wants his teammates to try the local cuisine.
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Oscar Onley was the only Grand Tour contender to attend the Tour de France presentation in Paris and the Netcompany Ineos leader was understandably enthusiastic about the Grand Départ in Scotland. He even called on his team to serve the riders haggis before the race.
The 24-year-old finished fourth overall in 2025 but missed this year's race after crashing hard at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Onley might not be too happy about the 71km of time trialing but the Scottish start is only the third time the Tour has started in Britain.
"I'd never dreamt of having a Tour de France going so close to my home. France and Scotland are not exactly close. It's something really special to have the Grand Départ in Scotland in 2027," Onley said in a video published by Netcompany Ineos.
"My first dream in cycling was just to go to the Tour de France. I realised that dream a few years ago. In 2024 I went back and got quite a bit of success, which meant a lot to me.
"It's something I'm really looking forward to. It kind of feels like a bit of a full circle moment to be coming back to the roads that I grew up trading on when I was 10, 11 years old. I'm really excited for it."
Onley will be 24 when stage 1 of the 2027 Tour rolls out of Edinburgh. He was only 12 when the Tour started in Yorkshire and just a boy when the 2007 Tour started in London.
"The thing that stands out the most to me when I was watching it on television, and from riders I've spoken to who experienced it, was just the crowds during those days," he pointed out.
"In any big sporting event in the UK, the public really gets behind whatever sport it is, so I expect the same next year. To have that in Scotland is extra special.
"I hope to see a lot of Scottish flags out. Whenever I do a race and see a Scottish flag, you always kind of take a moment to recognise them."
The 2027 Tour team presentation will be held in Edinburgh castle and the route presentation in Paris ended with the sound of bagpipes and Scottish dancers. Onley joked about his teammates trying another Scottish tradition during their special pre-race meal.
"Everyone should try some haggis," he said.
"It's probably what Scotland is most famous for. In my opinion, it tastes nice. Let's try and get some haggis for the pre-race dinner."
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