"Oscar Onley falls short by merely 22 seconds from securing a place on the Tour de France podium and the white jersey, with only one mountain stage remaining"
Oscar Onley Makes a Comeback in the 2025 Tour de France
Oscar Onley, the Scottish rider from the Borders, experienced a significant turnaround in the 2025 Tour de France after a challenging climb at the Col de la Madeleine. Onley was put into the red during the second of three hors categories climbs on Thursday, but a huge effort from his team-mates Warren Barguil and Frank van den Broek brought him back into the action, setting him up for his dream finish.
The pivotal moment for Onley came during Stage 18 at the Col de la Loze, a brutal mountain stage that tested the limits of even the strongest riders. Despite the extreme difficulty of the climb, Onley demonstrated excellent resilience and climbing ability, staying with the leaders until near the finish line. He finished fourth on the stage, just seconds behind the stage winner Ben O'Connor, narrowing his gap to the overall podium to only about 22 seconds.
This strong showing allowed Onley to close the gap on the battle for third overall significantly, making the fight for the final podium place highly competitive. His team, Picnic PostNL, delivered a well-executed strategy that helped him recover and maintain a top overall placing into the final mountain stages.
Observers noted Onley as a promising young talent whose performance on Stage 18 was one of the highlights of the race, showing growth and maturity beyond his years in the toughest part of the Tour. With just one mountain stage remaining, Onley is now 22 seconds off the podium and the white jersey, which Lipowitz currently holds.
Sean Flynn, Onley's team-mate, stated that Onley is very focused and knows what he needs to do. Despite not keeping his cool on Madeleine, Onley still felt good despite not being at the level of the leading riders when they attack. Matt Winston, Onley's sports director, mentioned that Onley was on top of his nutrition during the stage, which kept him in good condition for the final climb.
As the Tour de France heads to La Plagne, a 19.3km climb at 7.2%, Onley remains focused on his goal of securing a place on the podium. The weather might be rainy again, but Onley has faced worse weather before. He finished fourth on the stage, 25 seconds off the podium, but with his improved performance and the support of his team, Onley is on for something special at this Tour de France.
Sports played a significant role in Oscar Onley's comeback during the 2025 Tour de France, as his team-mates Warren Barguil and Frank van den Broek helped him regain his competitive edge after a challenging climb at the Col de la Madeleine. Onley's perseverance and climbing ability shone on Stage 18 at the Col de la Loze, where he demonstrated remarkable resilience and stayed with the leaders until near the finish line.
