Oscar Onley is one of the most promising stage race riders, a 23-year-old British talent and a true market coup for Team Ineos. The English team wanted him at all costs and snatched him from Team PicNic Postnl by paying a whopping 6 million. The Scottish rider is a real investment and could bring a major tour back to Ineos after 5 years.

He has the numbers, and his gradual growth in the Dutch team has prepared him for a massive quality leap. His first pro victory came at the 2024 Tour Down Under, but it was last year that Onley literally exploded, winning the stage in Maria in Calanca at the Tour de Suisse and securing a fourth place at the Tour de France that put the spotlight on him. For him, joining Ineos represents a new challenge that he faces with determination, not hiding that he has realized a childhood dream. "If 10 years ago, when the Ineos team didn't exist yet, but Team Sky did, someone had told me I would be part of the team, I wouldn't have believed it. In reality, I wouldn't have believed it even a year ago. Everything happened very quickly, and I can't wait to start racing with them, it's beautiful. Since I started cycling, I've always dreamed of being part of this team. Then I grew up and started seeing the British guys who were collecting results more closely. They were a great example to me because they pushed me to give my best. I absolutely wanted to be like them," Onley recounts with some emotion in a presentation video published by Team Ineos on their social channels.

During the brief presentation, Onley emphasizes multiple times the joy and pride of being part of a team that, although international, maintains the British heart and passion. When he was a young boy entering British Cycling selections, he always saw his older compatriots as an example to follow, many of whom were racing for Team Sky, and he dreamed of being like them. He has indelible memories of races watched on TV, when becoming a cyclist was just a dream, but the one he carries in his heart is Geraint Thomas's Tour de France victory in 2018. "I grew up watching Wiggins and Froome's victories, they were great emotions, but when Geraint Thomas won the Tour in 2018, it was something different. Unlike others, he had never been able to dominate so much. He was always a team player who sacrificed himself for others, and finally, he managed to make a difference. In recent years, it's been really nice to be able to pedal next to him. Watching him move in the group, I understood how important his work was, but also extremely difficult. He never raced just for himself, but always for the team, and I think that's something beautiful," said Onley, who in 2026 will work closely with the Welsh rider, realizing another small desire. Before the team retreat, they had numerous Zoom calls, a way to get to know each other better and also discuss the season's program. "It was a joy to discover that Geraint would stay in the team with a new role. Already in the first calls we made, I realized how much he understood me. He was also a young rider like me with many questions and doubts. He knows all the various issues and immediately offered to help me. He told me to contact him for anything, whether it strictly concerns cycling or not. He will find a way to help me."

The Scottish rider has not yet announced the details of his 2026 program, but it will certainly center around one of the grand tours. His goal is to improve on his previous season, confirming himself as one of the new riders for stage races.