Oscar Onley to make Ineos Grenadiers debut next week
Scot confirmed for season opener at Volta ao Algarve
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Oscar Onley will make his Ineos Grenadiers debut at the Volta ao Algarve next week.
The 23-year-old Scot joined the British WorldTour squad this year from Picnic PostNL, with whom he turned pro in 2023.
Onley announced he was leaving his former team two days before Christmas last year, saying “the opportunity to represent the team of my home country was one I could not refuse”.
He will be one of two Ineos Grenadiers debutants at the Volta ao Algarve; Kévin Vauquelin, the Tour de France stage winner who joined from Arkéa-B&B Hotels, will also open his season at the race.
The Volta ao Algarve will take place from 18-22 February, starting in Vila Real de Santo António and ending in Malhão.
Onley was the subject of fierce transfer speculation after he finished fourth at the Tour de France last summer – a result that matched the best-ever finish by a Scottish rider, achieved by Pippa York, in 1984.
The 23-year-old was understood to have a contract with Picnic PostNL until 2027; however, after a “very late late but appealing offer” came in from Ineos Grenadiers for the rider, his contract was broken.
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In a statement released by Ineos Grenadiers at the time, the team’s director of racing Geraint Thomas said Onley “complements our rider roster perfectly”.
“Oscar’s performance in 2025 has been incredible really. I rode my first Tour when I was 21, so to see what he achieved at this year’s Tour at just 22 was really impressive,” Thomas said. “The way he rides and understands a race is mature beyond his years – he’s a proper racer. I can’t wait to work with him – at his age there’s still loads of headroom.”
Thomas suggested in an episode of his podcast, Watts Occurring, last month that Onley will go on to compete at Paris-Nice and the Tour Auvergne - Rhône-Alpes, the latter formerly known as the Critérium du Dauphiné.
From there, the 23-year-old is expected to lead Ineos Grenadiers at the Tour de France, which starts in Barcelona, Spain on 4 July.
The Volta ao Algarve revealed its “star-studded” start list this week, which also counts João Almeida (UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Juan Ayuso (Lidl-Trek), Florian Lipowitz (Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe) and Jasper Philipsen (Alpecin-Deceuninck).
Although the full start list is yet out, Filippo Ganna and Thymen Arensman are confirmed to join Onley and Vauquelin in the seven-rider Ineos Grenadiers squad.
Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host of The TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
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