While Onley thrives at INEOS, Poole fights another setback: 'We don't want to rush him'

While many of the biggest names in the peloton are putting the finishing touches to their Giro d'Italia preparations at the Tour of the Alps, one important name was absent from the five-day race's start list. Max Poole was scratched by Picnic PostNL, and the big question is when we will see the 23-year-old Briton back in top form. IDL Pro Cycling spoke at length with the Dutch outfit and got some answers.

Not so long ago, the situation at Picnic PostNL looked genuinely bright. The team said goodbye to the retiring Romain Bardet, but behind the Frenchman stood two young British riders eager to step into his shoes. Oscar Onley was one of them — but heading into 2025, Poole was the one knocking louder on the door.

Like Onley, Poole is a product of Picnic PostNL's development pipeline and moved up to the WorldTour team in 2023. In his first full year as a professional he immediately finished fourth at the Tour de Romandie, fourth at the Tour de Hongrie, and came close to the top ten in bigger races such as the Tour of the Alps and the Critérium du Dauphiné.

As the crowning moment, Poole debuted at the Vuelta a España in 2023 — the race in which he would break through to a wider audience a year later. After impressing in stage races such as the UAE Tour (seventh) and the Tour de Burgos (second) in 2024, Poole announced himself at his second Vuelta as a serial attacker: he made the front group five times and finished in the top three on four separate occasions.

After Poole carried that superb Vuelta form into his first professional victory at the Tour of Langkawi, 2025 was approached with genuine confidence. Picnic PostNL pushed him forward ambitiously as their Giro d'Italia GC leader. Onley was still in his shadow at that point, recovering from multiple collarbone fractures.

How things change. Where Onley had his breakthrough in 2025, finishing a surprise fourth at the Tour de France, Poole fell from one piece of bad luck to the next — literally and figuratively. Having already broken his elbow at the Tirreno-Adriatico in 2024, he fractured his collarbone at Strade Bianche in 2025. He still finished eleventh at the Giro d'Italia, despite a compromised build-up.

After the Giro things got worse. Following two abandonments — at the Dauphiné and the Tour de Pologne — Poole was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus. His season was over in August. Although he appeared to be recovering over the winter, Poole has not been seen since a season-opening appearance at the Figueira Champions Classic and a low-key role at the Tour of the Algarve.

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Why has Poole not raced since those Portuguese events? He has picked up another virus. "I'm not a doctor, but it's simply a virus he picked up in the aftermath of last year's Epstein-Barr," says sports director Phil West. "He's training again and back on the bike, but we don't want to rush him."

Poole therefore did not start the Tour of the Alps, and was also absent from the Tour of Turkey — the fallback plan. West kept his cards close to his chest regarding decisions about the Giro. "We're keeping all options open, as we do with all riders under medical supervision. We need to take the right steps at the right time."

Nevertheless, the Giro in May looks like an unrealistic target for a rider who hasn't raced since February. "I have to be honest and say I'm not really focused on when Max can race any more. We get general updates showing that his training is going well. But when we take the next step, I don't know. Maybe it will be sooner than we think — but we need to be careful."

Poole's body has taken two serious blows in the space of half a year, and the message is clear: "If you push one step too far, you could see a repeat of what happened last season. And then it will take even longer," says West, who is trying to keep a level head. "As a professional, you have to deal with these things. Max has come back from setbacks before."

There are no signs of a mental dip from the British climbing talent, it seems. "You'd rather do without it, but it's part of the game. He's a solid lad from the north of England — he still looks good. Oscar Onley is a great example, because we went through a whole journey with him too — broken collarbones, momentum that was missing for a long time. But once you get that back, great things can happen."

Onley's fourth place at the Tour de France forced a transfer to INEOS Grenadiers. Poole's explosion onto the scene will have to wait a little longer. "You shouldn't let it frustrate you — you have to trust that you can deal with it. You always have to be able to respond to what happens. We believe in him," West says.

West ventures, very cautiously, to put a positive spin on it: "This sport is so demanding that it costs enormous amounts of energy when you're deep in it. When you step away for a while, the advantage is that you're not burning through that energy. You can come back calmly and train well, and come out of it fresher. That always gives you something — even if racing is obviously preferable."

"These days you don't necessarily need race kilometres. Training well and being in good condition is far more important," the Australian adds. "Max has already shown what he can do as a team leader. We saw that at last year's Giro and at the 2024 Vuelta. If he can get a proper run of fitness, we still think he's capable of great things."

Should Poole miss the Giro, we may yet see him line up at the Tour de France. That's the race where his close friend and former teammate Onley made his name in 2025 — something Poole can only dream of for now.