Heavy blow for Netcompany INEOS as Oscar Onley and Joshua Tarling crash: DS Geraint Thomas gives Tour update

Netcompany INEOS had a true nightmare day on Friday in the first mountain stage of the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The British squad saw intended Tour de France leader Oscar Onley crash heavily, while Joshua Tarling also went down earlier in the stage. To make matters worse, Carlos Rodríguez and Kévin Vauquelin both lost significant time to several of the other general classification contenders.

The problems began with Tarling’s crash from the early breakaway. The Welsh powerhouse, normally also one of the riders in contention for a place in the team’s Tour de France selection, hit the deck midway through the stage. It was immediately clear that he would not be able to continue. After the finish, the doctors’ initial fears were confirmed: a broken collarbone.

Onley crashed on the final descent, as eyewitness Matteo Jorgenson saw from close range. “That final descent was really tricky. I hope Oscar is okay, because I saw him fly over the guardrail and I was a bit shocked by that,” the Visma | Lease a Bike American said after the finish.

Fortunately, the Scot did eventually make it to the finish line, around half an hour after stage winner Maxim Van Gils of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe had crossed it. Onley, who is also expected to be one of Netcompany INEOS’ key Tour de France leaders, went straight to the medical staff for further checks and a diagnosis. Behind the front of the race, teammates Carlos Rodríguez and Kévin Vauquelin lost around a minute at the line, making an already painful day even more damaging for the team.

“Unfortunately, he has sustained a dislocated shoulder and wounds to his leg, and he will not start stage 7 tomorrow,” Netcompany INEOS communicated late in the evening. “Both riders will continue to be treated under the care of our medical team, and we wish them a speedy recovery.”

Whether Onley’s Tour de France start is now in danger because of the injury remains impossible to say for the time being. The timing is far from ideal, with the Tour moving ever closer and Netcompany INEOS needing clarity over the riders expected to lead the squad in July.

On Saturday morning, the team sent out an audio update from sporting manager Geraint Thomas. The Welshman, now guiding the team from the car rather than racing himself, did not try to dress up what had happened.

“It’s just unfortunate, more than anything,” Thomas said. “Josh touched the wheel of the rider in front of him and before he knew it, he was on the ground. He is having surgery straight away and we are trying to get him back as quickly as possible.”

Thomas then addressed Onley’s situation, with the Scot having been one of the team’s most important cards for both this race and the bigger objectives still to come. “As for Oscar, we believed he could do well here, but the most frustrating thing for him is that he has not really been able to show himself this year yet. In the crash, he maybe went a bit too hard into that corner, but considering he went down into the ravine, it could have ended up being a lot worse. He is still having scans, and hopefully it is not too bad.”

When asked about the Tour de France, Thomas remained cautious. Netcompany INEOS still has hope, but the team will have to wait for medical clarity before making any firm calls.

“As for the Tour, it is still a bit uncertain,” Thomas said. “They are obviously two crucial pieces for the Tour. We will wait to hear what the doctors say, and with Oscar also how his scans go. They have done so much work for it, so one easier week will not set them back too much. It is mainly about the severity of the injuries, and we are still hoping for the Tour.”

Author: David Bavin-Hobbs - [email protected]