Oscar Onley found hanging in tree above deep ravine after horror crash

The Netcompany Ineos rider crashed on the descent towards the final climb to Crest Voland, with around 10 kilometres remaining.

Team principal Dave Brailsford said Onley was “incredibly lucky” not to have fallen into a ravine dozens of metres deep.

The crash happened on a left hand bend. When the team directors’ convoy arrived at the scene, only Onley’s bike was initially visible.

“Fortunately, Oscar landed in the crown of a tree during his fall,” Brailsford told Wielerflits.

“As a result, he did not end up in a ravine dozens of metres deep. Our staff in the team car, together with people from the race organisation, were able to very carefully lift him back up from the tree."

“He was incredibly lucky. It could have ended much worse.”

Remarkably, Onley was able to continue and finished the stage in 127th place, almost half an hour behind the winner.

The team announced his withdrawal on Saturday morning before stage 7. He suffered a dislocated shoulder and wounds to his leg, with further scans scheduled for Saturday.

The 23-year-old Scot joined Netcompany Ineos from Picnic PostNL ahead of the 2026 season after finishing fourth at the 2025 Tour de France.

Teammate Josh Tarling was also forced out of the race after breaking his collarbone in an earlier crash on the same stage.

Speaking ahead of stage 7, Netcompany Ineos director of racing Geraint Thomas addressed both incidents and the possible impact on the team’s Tour de France plans.

On Tarling’s crash, he said: “I think there was a bit of a flick in the line. He touched the wheel, came down, landed awkwardly and broke his collarbone.

“He is having surgery straight away, and then you would be looking to get back as quickly as possible. It is just unfortunate.”

Thomas also addressed Onley’s crash and the frustration of seeing him miss another opportunity to show his form. The team had positioned the Scot well for the final climb and believed he was capable of producing a strong ride.

“That is probably the most frustrating thing for him,” Thomas said. “This year, he has not really had the chance to show what he can do or find out where he is. We are confident he would have ridden well, but you just do not know exactly where.”

That frustration was outweighed by relief once the severity of the crash became clear. According to Thomas, Onley slightly overshot a left hand bend before falling down a steep drop towards the ravine.

“At least he was okay. It could have been a lot worse,” he said.

Onley suffered a dislocated shoulder and a deep wound to his knee. He was due to undergo further scans on Saturday, with Thomas adding that the team hoped he would be “all good”.

Both riders had been part of Netcompany Ineos’ Tour de France plans, but their participation is now uncertain.

Tarling faces surgery on his collarbone, while Onley is awaiting the results of further scans. Thomas said the team would assess Tarling’s recovery after surgery and hoped Onley could still join the squad for a final training camp.

“It is a bit unknown at the minute,” he said. “Obviously, Oscar and Josh were two of the main guys in the team.”

Both riders had completed a significant amount of training and were in strong physical condition before their crashes. Thomas therefore felt that a quieter week would not have a major effect on their fitness.

“It is just the injuries really, and how quickly they can recover,” he said. “But we are staying positive and hopefully they will both be good for the Tour.”