'It's not much' - Onley in touching distance of Tour podium

Stage 18 of this year’s Tour possibly has more stories than any other so far. There were three classified climbs adding up to well over 5,000m of vertical ascent. There were multiple breakaways, waxing and waning as the day wore on, the GC battle was probably sealed, and before that, the green jersey rode to its final home on the back of a sprinter.

Just behind the apparent procession at the top of the general classification, where Tadej Pogačar (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) once again accrued more time, the battle for the best young rider is only just getting started. Scotsman, Oscar Onley (Picnic-PostNL) is now within 22 seconds of taking the white jersey, and, as it stands, that would mean a move onto the bottom step of the overall podium.

Onley has put in some stunning performances at this year’s race, but had been slipping back in recent days. He arrived in the Pyrenees in third place of the young rider classification, 10 seconds ahead of Florian Liopwitz (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe). But turned up in Vif on Thursday for the start of stage 18, second in the classification, but now 2.01 behind his German rival, losing time at Superbagnères and on Mont Ventoux. And while he was still fourth on the overall GC, Lipowitz’s team mate, Primož Roglič, was breathing down his neck, just 38 seconds back.

But a stage is a long time in at the Tour de France. Roglič is now 1.26 back, and Lipowitz is within touching distance. In his second Tour, Onley is just 22 seconds from the white jersey and third place overall.

It had all started so well for the Red Bull pair of Lipowitz and Roglič, the Slovenian riding across to an early breakaway, which took time out of the GC group where Onley was sat on Lipowitz’s wheel. That move put Roglič above Onley on GC, and when Lipowitz followed Vingegaard’s move 5km from the top of the Col de la Madeleine, all seemed lost for the Scottish rider.

Things got worse for him as the race reached the valley, when Lipowitz attacked the GC group and headed onto the final climb well ahead of the GC riders, let alone Onley. But he wasn’t alone, and Onley stormed back on the wheels of his Picnic-PostNL team mates.

“They were really good,” Onley gasped. “It was hard. Visma set a hard pace, and I just did what I could. 

“I wouldn’t say that I kept my cool, but I still feel good, but I’m not at the level of those guys when they attack, and I think it showed at the end, they went pretty hard up there,”

As the final climb wore on, Lipowitz began to falter, dropping through the GC group and losing time. Roglič too was suffering, gently slipping off the back, recovering, and finally falling back. When Jonas Vingegaard attacked well inside the final 2km, only Pogačar and Onley were able to follow. In what was a remarkably dogged ride, Onley finished fourth just three seconds behind Vingegaard and 13 from second-placed Pogačar.

More importantly, the two Red Bull riders finished well down, making a Tour podium, and with it the white jersey, is a genuine possibility. Tomorrow’s five classified climbs and another jaw-dropping 4,629m of vertical ascent during the short, sharp stage between Albertville and La Plagne are likely to be the only chance to take that time back. 

“I don’t know, it’s not much, so we’ll give it everything tomorrow.”