'My goals aren't in February' - Onley relaxed after first TT in Ineos colours in Algarve

Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers) has said that he is looking to take a measured approach to the start of the season as he builds towards the Tour de France, where he will hope to eclipse his stunning fourth place finish from 2025. 

On stage 3 of the Volta ao Algarve, all eyes were on the GC contenders during the all-important race against the clock. In particular, there was much attention on Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek) and Onley, with both riders debuting their TT setups with their new teams.

Onley would have to settle for 24th on the stage, 1:09 behind stage winner and teammate Filippo Ganna, and 1:03 behind the first GC contender and race leader Ayuso, who took a fine second.  

Speaking at the Ineos team bus a little while after the finish, Onley was honest in his reflections on his own performance on a sunny day in Vilamoura, in his first outing on his new time trial setup.

“It was alright. It was obviously the first TT of the season, and I was in the wind tunnel last week, so yeah, I haven’t had so much time to ride in the new position, but yeah, it was alright,” Onley said. 

The 23-year-old British rider started the stage in fourth overall, 14 seconds behind race leader Ayuso following a spirited performance on the summit finish to Alto da Fóia on stage 2. 

Following the time trial, that deficit has now widened to 1:17. When asked about the time lost to some of his rivals, Onley was calm and admitted it is not the be all or end all, with his priority being the bigger fish to fry later on in the season. 

“I don’t really put a target like that onto my TTs. I’m not really in a position to compare myself to others, so I just try and go through the process,” said Onley.

“I just kind of focus on what I can do and where I can improve, and just now that’s trying to increase the power.”

After that strong performance on the slopes of the Alto da Fóia, Onley indicated that he was feeling well, but he also highlighted how a crash in the finale meant that he was held up at a crucial moment in the finale on Thursday.

“I felt good yesterday. I was held up a bit by McNulty’s crash just in front of me. So I had to close that gap to the front guys after Ayuso attacked,” Onley said.

“But no, I felt good, and it’s nice to be up there again at the start of the season. I know that I’m not at my best yet, there are definitely areas I still need to work on and improve at, so that gives me a lot of confidence. 

When asked about what areas he was referring to in terms of making said improvements, Onley explained how he is looking to take a more relaxed approach to the start of the season. 

This is in the hope that this will benefit him in the long run, ahead of the Tour de France in the Summer where he will look to put Ineos right back to the fore in the GC in the sport's premier event.

“Just general stuff when you’re preparing for a race, you know, like the real top-end stuff that’s kind of taking the winter a bit steadier, and you know, my goals aren’t in February,” said Onley. 

“I’m trying to take it a bit steadier this year, and I think it can make quite a big difference by the time July comes around.”

The penultimate stage on Saturday is expected to be one for the sprinters, before the final showdown on the slopes of the Alto do Malhão, on Sunday, where the race for the yellow jersey will draw to a close. 

Ayuso currently leads Paul Seixas by seven seconds, with João Almeida in third at 44 seconds. 

Onley now sits in seventh overall at 1:17, with his two Ineos teammates Kévin Vauquelin and Thymen Arensman well-positioned respectively in fourth and fifth, giving the British team options ahead of the closing stage and GC battle.