'I'm gutted' - Oscar Onley ruled out of Tour after Dauphiné horror crash

Oscar Onley has been ruled out of the Tour de France after it was confirmed that he had sustained a shoulder injury in his horror crash at the recent Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.

The Scot crashed into a ravine on stage 6, and although he remounted and reached the finish at Crest-Voland, he withdrew ahead of the following day’s stage.

In a statement on Thursday, Netcompany-Ineos confirmed that Onley would not be fit enough to line up at the Tour on July 4 due to what the team termed as a “significant shoulder injury.”

Onley placed fourth overall at last year’s Tour in the colours of Picnic-PostNL before Ineos bought him out of the final two years of his contract to become the figurehead of their Grand Tour plans.

“I’m gutted not to be able to line up for the Tour de France this year. My focus is now on recovering and getting my shoulder in a good place, but I’m really motivated to try and make something out of this season,” Onley said.

“I am looking forward to watching the boys racing in France in the coming weeks, especially knowing how hard everyone has worked.”

Onley has endured an ill-starred time in Ineos colours despite a promising fourth place overall on his debut at the Volta ao Algarve in February. He abandoned Paris-Nice due to illness, and that surely contributed to his subdued 12th overall at the Volta a Catalunya later that month.

Illness would force the 23-year-old to abandon the Tour de Romandie on the opening road stage, but he started the rebranded Dauphiné with hopes of getting his Tour challenge back on track.

Onley began well, and he lay third overall after guiding Netcompany-Ineos to second in the team time trial, but a crash on the sinuous descent of the Côte d’Héry-sur-Ugine would ultimately end his race.

Although Onley remarkably got back on his bike and rode to the finish at Crest-Voland, he was a non-starter the following day. He was back on the bike last week, but he strongly hinted at missing the Tour on Wednesday, when he posted a short training ride on Strava under the tag “road to the tour… of Guangxi.”

On Thursday morning, Daniel Benson reported that Onley was due to miss the Tour and Netcompany-Ineos confirmed that news shortly afterwards. 

Onley’s absence is a significant blow for Netcompany-Ineos, with questions over Kévin Vauquelin’s fitness after he withdrew from the French championships due to illness.

Carlos Rodríguez, fifth overall in 2023, is set to ride the Tour, but it remains to be seen if Thymen Arensman, fourth overall at this year’s Giro d’Italia, will be drafted into the line-up.