Updated June 26, 2026 01:38AM
Oscar Onley is the Latest Big Name to Miss the Tour de France
Netcompany-Ineos confirms last year's fourth-place finisher will miss the 2026 Tour de France after failing to recover from the shoulder injury suffered in June's horror crash.
Onley will not start thew 2026 Tour de France. (Photo: Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
Oscar Onley will miss the 2026 Tour de France after failing to recover from the shoulder injury he suffered in his horrific crash at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes.
Netcompany-Ineos confirmed Thursday that the 23-year-old Scot remains sidelined with what it described as a “significant shoulder injury.”
Velo reported that Onley had rejoined teammates at an altitude camp in the French Alps in hopes of recovering in time for the July 4 start in Barcelona.
Instead, last year’s fourth-place finisher has run out of time.
“I’m gutted not to be able to line up for the Tour de France this year,” Onley said. “My focus is now on recovering and getting my shoulder in a good place, but I’m really motivated to try and make something out of this season.
“I am looking forward to watching the boys racing in France in the coming weeks, especially knowing how hard everyone has worked.”
Onley crashed on a descent during stage 6 of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and landed in a tree that prevented him from plunging deeper into a ravine.
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He climbed back onto his bike and finished the stage before not starting the next day’s stage.
Tour de France selection still up in air
The injury is a major setback for Onley, who emerged as one of the revelations of last year’s Tour with a fourth-place finish overall.
His breakthrough prompted Netcompany-Ineos to buy him out of his contract with Picnic PostNL in one of cycling’s biggest recent transfer deals.
The team did not indicate who will replace Onley or when he is expected to return to racing.
Onley joins a growing list of big names who will be missing this year’s Tour with late-hour setbacks, including Wout van Aert, Joâo Almeida, Ivan Romeo, and Pello Bilbao.
The news comes after Kévin Vauquelin will skip this weekend’s French national championships after falling ill with a viral infection.
The move is considered precautionary, and the Frenchman is expected to start the Tour in Barcelona.
The team’s final Tour roster is expected to be announced in the coming days.