Onley was ridden into the ground by his own teammate as INEOS go all-in for Vauquelin at Paris–Nice

Thursday, 12 March 2026 at 14:36

INEOS Grenadiers went through a rollercoaster of emotions on Wednesday, just like so many other teams. The British squad seemed to have everything under control, with Oscar Onley safely in the first echelon during stage 4 of Paris–Nice. But a crash changed everything, and now it is no longer the Brit — but his French teammate Kévin Vauquelin — who carries the team’s GC hopes into the coming days.

“Our situation changed very quickly yesterday,” Onley said before the start of stage 5, forcing a smile. “The first two hours were good for us, although it was a shame that Kévin wasn’t in the first group. We expected him to come back, but unfortunately everything got turned upside down.”

Onley suddenly found himself on the ground and was knocked out of the first echelon. A huge effort from his INEOS teammates initially brought him back to the front. “It was a hard day and I suffered. The chase after the crash already put me on the limit. Joshua Tarling is an absolute engine. It was difficult to hold his wheel — let alone do it twice.”

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INEOS Grenadiers

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It's been full gas at #ParisNice, with an average speed of 50km/h across the first 100km and crosswinds causing splits in the peloton from the beginning. Onley, @kwiato, Tarling and Watson are in the lead group, with Vauquelin and Godon in the peloton (+1:00)

1:29 PM · Mar 11, 2026

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Onley’s elastic snapped, but Vauquelin’s certainly did not

Because Onley was dragged back once more when he simply could not hold on in the first echelon, Tarling was again there to bring him as far as possible. Michal Kwiatkowski and Samuel Watson were also in that front group, but in the end Onley’s elastic snapped. He eventually crossed the line 8:35 down on stage winner Jonas Vingegaard, making him only the second-best finisher on the team.

Vauquelin, meanwhile, had been chasing from behind ever since the first splits. But the Frenchman, like compatriot Lenny Martinez, dug in deep and somehow still managed to finish sixth on the stage, at just under four minutes from Vingegaard. That now leaves Vauquelin fourth overall in the general classification, while Onley has slipped to 14th. Earlier on Wednesday, Vauquelin had already explained how he missed the split in the crosswinds.

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INEOS Grenadiers

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It's a gritty, determined performance from the Grenadiers in tough conditions 👊 Vauquelin rallied on the final climb to finish sixth on the stage and is now 4th overall, +19" behind 3rd. Onley fought back from his crash and bike issue to secure a top 20 finish, but is now

4:21 PM · Mar 11, 2026

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INEOS Grenadiers target Paris–Nice podium with Vauquelin

“For now, it’s all-in for Kévin,” Onley said, underlining how quickly things can change in cycling. “He has shown how strong he is and the podium is in sight. That’s what we’re going for. Carlos [Rodríguez] is feeling better and together we can support him in the climbing stages still to come. We’re going to give everything for him.”

Vauquelin sits 19 seconds behind third-placed Georg Steinhauser in the overall standings. First and second place look much further away, with Vingegaard 3:39 ahead and Daniel Felipe Martínez 2:47 up on the Frenchman. Still, INEOS had already made clear after their team time trial win that they wanted to race Paris–Nice with multiple options, and that tactical flexibility has now simply shifted fully towards Vauquelin.

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