Netcompany-Ineos face Tour leadership headache as Onley and Vauquelin struggle for fitness

On Wednesday, Onley posted his first activity on Strava since crashing out of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, confirming that he has resumed riding ahead of the Tour de France.

The 23-year-old added the message: “Road to the tour… of Guangxi.”

The reference to the Chinese stage race, which is held in October, has raised further questions about whether Onley expects to be ready for the Tour de France. It could also be a joke about his current condition, with no official indication from the rider or team that he has been ruled out of the race.

Onley crashed during stage six of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes on the descent towards the final climb to Crest Voland. After failing to negotiate a left hand bend, he went over the side of the road and landed in a tree above a deep ravine.

His bicycle was initially the only thing visible when the team convoy arrived at the scene. Onley was then carefully lifted back towards the road by Netcompany Ineos staff and members of the race organisation.

He was able to remount and finish the stage, but withdrew before the start of stage seven. Medical examinations confirmed that he had dislocated his shoulder and suffered wounds to his leg, including a deep injury around his knee.

The Scot is expected to play an important role in the team’s general classification plans after joining from Picnic PostNL ahead of the 2026 season. He finished fourth overall at last year’s Tour de France and was due to lead Netcompany Ineos alongside Kevin Vauquelin.

Vauquelin has now also suffered a setback in the final weeks of his Tour preparation.

The French rider announced on Tuesday that he will not compete at the national championships in La Tour du Pin after contracting a virus during the Tour Auvergne Rhône Alpes. He also said he had been affected by a bacterial infection.

Vauquelin finished the stage race in 15th place overall and was part of the Netcompany-Ineos squad that placed second in the team time trial. However, he remained unwell after the race and decided to withdraw from the national championships to prioritise his recovery.

“It is a difficult decision to accept, but health has to come first,” Vauquelin wrote on Instagram.

The 25-year-old is preparing for his first Tour de France with Netcompany-Ineos after finishing seventh overall for Arkéa B&B Hotels in 2025.

Neither Onley nor Vauquelin has been ruled out, but Netcompany-Ineos is running out of time to determine whether either rider is fit enough to lead its Tour de France campaign.

Carlos Rodríguez, who finished fifth overall at the Tour in 2023, is set to return to the race and could offer the team a more established general classification option. However, it remains unclear whether he would be asked to lead outright or share responsibility with another rider.

Thymen Arensman is another possible alternative and is also included on the team’s provisional list. However, the Dutchman already has a demanding Giro d’Italia in his legs, where he finished fourth overall. He did prove his Tour credentials last year by winning two stages.

Former Tour winner Egan Bernal could provide another option after placing tenth at the Giro, although he spent much of the race working in support of Arensman and currently has no further races on his schedule.

With the Grand Départ in Barcelona on July 4 fast approaching, Netcompany Ineos is facing a very different picture from the one it had imagined at the start of the season. A Tour leadership group strengthened by Onley and Vauquelin was supposed to be one of the team’s biggest reasons for optimism. It has now become one of its main concerns.