‘I do not really feel any strain to carry out immediately’ – Oscar Onley begins ‘determining’ Ineos Grenadiers at Volta ao Algarve with Tour de France the clear goal
Oscar Onley is moving into a brand new part of his profession as he traces up for his first race with Ineos Grenadiers at Volta ao Algarve on Wednesday however the 23-year-old is not heading into the five-stage race in Portugal with the burden of early expectations, not given the precedence of the season clearly lies in July.
The 23-year-old rider had initially been anticipating to start 2026 racing in Australia on the Tour Down Below, although that was earlier than a late switch from Picnic PostNL to Ineos Grenadiers was agreed upon late in December. After that his new crew had been fast to realign the season to work with its targets, and the principle one has been made unequivocally clear.
“It is no secret that the Tour is the principle focus for the yr, for myself and for the crew. I believe we’ve a extremely sturdy line up there, and fairly a couple of completely different and thrilling targets going into it as effectively,” mentioned Onley in an interview launched by Ineos Grenadiers.
The signing of Onley is clearly a key plank within the crew’s aim of as soon as once more placing a rider on the highest step of the Tour de France podium because the British rider, together with one other new signing Kévin Vauquelin, each completed within the prime ten general in 2025 – Onley in fourth and the French rider in seventh.
Each will probably be lining up at a race in Ineos Grenadiers equipment for the primary time at Vila Actual de Santo António on stage 1 of Volta ao Algarve after coaching with the crew in Tenerife. They are going to be racing in Portugal alongside Thymen Arensman, Filippo Ganna, Kim Heiduk, Laurens De Plus and Bob Jungels.
“I did this race three years in the past now and I actually loved it again then.. It was a pleasant method to simply begin the season,” mentioned Onley who took out the youth classification on the occasion in 2023 and twelfth general in what was then certainly one of his first races using for WorldTour crew Picnic PostNL.
Now, in his fourth season within the WorldTour, he’s returning to the two.Professional ranked occasion for one more new starting.
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“I am simply trying ahead to getting caught into some racing this week. The primary focus is de facto studying how the crew works – you recognize I am nonetheless studying the place all of the attracts are on the bus are – so from a efficiency facet, I do not really feel any strain to carry out immediately,” mentioned Onley.
“I am nonetheless figuring every little thing out within the crew first and I believe the necessary factor is how we work as a crew, as riders, as an entire group right here and having enjoyable alongside the best way as effectively.”
After Volta ao Algarve Onley will flip his consideration to a primary look at Paris-Good from March 8-15 after which “hopefully” Volta a Catalunya from March 23 to 29, in what he mentioned was admittedly a fast flip round after Paris-Good however was a race close to dwelling territory that he loved.
“From there the construct up actually begins for the Tour and that standard pathway into there,” mentioned Onley, who the final two years has used the Tour de Suisse as his lead-in race to the July Grand Tour.
