Vauquelin frustrated by a missed victory after INEOS order him to wait for Onley

Netcompany INEOS put in an excellent performance on Tuesday at the team time trial at the Tour Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The British team posted the second-fastest time, just 9 seconds behind Visma | Lease a Bike. Afterward, Kévin Vauquelin was a bit disappointed, as the British team might have let the win slip out of their hands.

Netcompany INEOS posted the fastest time at the first and second intermediate checkpoints. The team had even extended its lead over Visma | Lease a Bike at the second checkpoint, but the Dutch squad turned the tables and ultimately finished ahead of the competition.

Netcompany INEOS’s 15-second loss in the final stretch wasn’t even due to Samuel Watson dropping out early because of a mechanical issue, but was largely attributable to a second mechanical failure suffered by Oscar Onley. The Brit had his chain come off briefly, and the team decided to have the remaining riders wait.

As a result, Vauquelin and Onley were able to ride to the finish together as planned, but the Frenchman didn’t seem too happy along the way with the decision to ease off for his co-leader. “I’m a little disappointed. We wanted to win, but we had a mechanical problem. That’s never a pleasant way to lose,” Vauquelin said afterward.

"Physically, we were up to the task, and we posted some good times along the way. I think that’s a positive, even without a win,” said the 25-year-old Frenchman, who was, of course, the big surprise of the 2025 Tour de France, finishing seventh overall for Arkéa-B&B Hotels.

At Netcompany INEOS, Vauquelin certainly hasn’t lost any speed, so after crossing the finish line, he felt a win was definitely within reach. “It’s tough when you have to wait at 80 kilometers per hour. It’s a tricky situation, because whether someone is strong or not, you end up losing a lot of time.” Commentators put it at 15 to 20 seconds, because you have to slow down from 80 to 55 and then back up to 80.'

So Vauquelin wasn’t exactly thrilled and would undoubtedly have preferred to keep going. However, Onley is still in a strong position in the general classification. The Brit and Vauquelin are 12 seconds behind Alex Baudin (EF Education-EasyPost) in the yellow jersey, sitting in second and third place in the general classification. Still, Vauquelin said, “This wasn’t my strategy, but we’ll discuss it.”