Onley overcomes stomach problems to finish fourth in Andorra at Vuelta

Oscar Onley (Netcompany-Ineos) revealed he spent much of Monday night suffering from stomach problems before producing a strong ride on a challenging fourth stage of the Vuelta a España.

The Briton finished fourth on the stage as part of a selective six-rider selection, 2:39 behind Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), who delivered a crushing 50km solo raid in Andorra la Vella.

Asked by TNT Sports at the finish if he was happy with his performance, Onley revealed the stomach problems that he had been suffering from overnight.

“Yeah, considering I was up all night on the toilet, I'm actually very happy with how I rode today," Onley said.

Pogačar went clear on the Collada de Beixalis with 50km remaining, a move which only Gall attempted to follow. 

Onley, who stayed within the chasing pack, admitted he knew where he stood when Pogačar made his race-winning acceleration.

“Yeah, I knew that I couldn’t go with that attack, so, yeah, I just did what I could on that climb,” he said. 

The Netcompany-Ineos rider was also unsurprised by Pogačar’s dominance as the world champion produced his biggest solo victory in a Grand Tour stage.

“No, not really. We just let him do his thing and then we raced between ourselves.”

Despite his physical problems, Onley proved to be among the strongest riders in the race. 

The Briton and Felix Gall (Decathlon CMA CGM) pulled clear from the chasers on the Coll d’Ordino with around 35km remaining before they were initially joined first by Primož Roglič (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe), Sepp Kuss (Visma | Lease a Bike) and Enric Mas (Movistar).

Asked about the cooperation in the group, Onley stated: "Yeah, it was okay. It was a bit complicated, but it was all right.”

In the end, the group gained more members, but only Jarno Widar (Lotto-Intermarché) would remain with the initial selection as Richard Carapaz (EF Education-EasyPost), Gregor Mühlberger (Decathlon CMA CGM) and Mattias Skjelmose (Lidl-Trek) found themselves distanced.

It was the Grand Tour debutant, Widar, who led the chasers home, 2:39 behind Pogačar, with Onley satisfied considering his stomach problems. He now sits in fifth overall, 3:45 behind Pogačar, but just 13 seconds from the podium.