Who is Oscar Onley? When did Scottish Tour de France star start cycling, where is he from and what has he won?
It seems that there’s a new Scottish sporting star.
Scotland is no stranger to cycling success - in Sir Chris Hoy we have one of Britain’s greatest ever Olympians.
But as a country we are less triumphant when it gomes to the Herculean world of road racing and the epic grand tours that take in hundreds of miles of European roads each year.
In fact, no Scottish cyclist has ever finished in on the podium in the Tour de France - the world’s most famous road race which, in 2027, will actually start in Scotland.
But those watching this years have seen a Scot in the leading pack, with Oscar Onley in fourth with just a few days to go until the big finish in Paris.
Here’s everything you need to know about him.
Where does Oscar Onley come from?
Onley was actually born in London, but considers himself Scottish as he was brought up in the Borders.
He grew up in Kelso where he attended Longridge Towers School and Kelso High School.
When did Oscar Onley start cycling?
Onley started cycling competitively at the age of just 10 when he joined local club the Kelso Wheelers. He was also a keen cross country runner but chose to dedicate his time to cycling when he turned 18 and joined the junior ranks.
When did Oscar Onley become a professional cyclist?
Onley turned professional in 2019 when he signed a two year contract with the Van Rysel-AG2R La Mondiale development team - a atint that was destined to be interrupted by the global pandemic.
Who does Oscar Onley currently race for?
Onley now races for the UCI WorldTeam Team Picnic–PostNL, who he joined in 2023, having signed a five-year contract at the end of 2022.
What have been Oscar Onley’s career highlights so far?
Onley had only taken part in two grand tour races prior to this year’s Tour de France, abandoning the 2023 Vuelta a España after breaking his collarbone in a crash, and finishing 39th in last year’s Tour de France.
His first individual professional win came on on Stage Five of the 2024 Tour Down Under, which he ended up coming fourth in.
He did better still in the 2024 Tour of Britain where he came second overall and won the Youth Classification.
Onley was also the highest ranked British rider at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships in Zurich, where he came 16th.
What does Oscar Onley have to do to take a podium place in the Tour de France?
With just three stages to go Onley is in fourth position, a relatively distant 11m23s behind leader Tadej Podacar. Second placed Jonas Vingegaard is also uncatchable, but third placed Florian Lipowitz is just 22 seconds ahead of the Scot.
Which Scottish cyclist has done best in the Tour de France?
In 1984 Scottish cyclist Robert Millar finished fourth in the race - when he wore the polka dot jersey given to the best mountain climber of the year.
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