Oscar Onley on his day in the break with Van der Poel, Van Aert & Simmons: "I still have to figure that out"

The 23-year-old Onley had just come off the Vuelta a España, which, in essence, didn’t turn out to be the best preparation for a strong World Championship result. Most of the top contenders from the Tour of Spain did not compete in Canada, with the exception of two riders. Alongside Onley, Primoz Roglic, representing Slovenia, was also part of the group, which ultimately consisted only of Van der Poel, the two of them, and Quinn Simmons.

Together, they pushed on at full speed, but the group of favourites spotted the danger, and thanks to some great teamwork, the attack was neutralised a good 30 kilometers from the finish. Van der Poel, Onley, Roglic, and Simmons were caught by the top World Championship favourites, and all four were eventually dropped. Van der Poel finished third and Simmons 4th, both left with just enough energy left to make a final push.

"A day out with world champions," Onley wrote on his social media accounts. The Brit looked strong for a long time, but ultimately faltered when it really mattered in the final stretch. “I still need to figure out how to keep my energy up for the last 20 kilometers of races like this,” he said in his candid assessment.

Onley ultimately finished in seventeenth place and, as a result, did not end up being the top British rider in the results. That honour went to Tom Pidcock, who, thanks to Onley’s presence, didn’t have to do much for a long time in the chasing group. Pidcock was right in the thick of the battle for the world title in the final stretch, but ultimately finished seventh.

As Onley was dropped before the real race got going, he didn't feature in our analysis of the crucial 22.2km that defined the race. However, this strong outing will hopefully give the 23-year-old Scot a taste for World Championship success, as the brutal mountain route for 2027 suits his skillset better.