Double blow for Netcompany INEOS - Onley and Tarling out of Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes after stage 6 crashes

Netcompany INEOS saw their dream Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes situation turn into a nightmare on Friday's stage 6. Not only did they lose two key riders from the race, but the team have confirmed they have both suffered injuries and face time off the saddle.

Heading into the high mountains with dual leaders, Ineos were in the perfect scenario as they placed Kevin Vauquelin and Oscar Onley in second and third respectively. Despite tensions between the pair over team time trial strategy, the double leadership seemed to be paying dividends as they boasted small advantages over most of the pre-race favourites.

But as cycling often shows, even the best prepared strategies can be thrown out the window on the road when a rider goes down. For the British team, misfortune was to start early but in the form of a key helper.

Josh Tarling had helped lead out Dorian Godon in Thursday'd fifth stage, and got himself into a 60-man breakaway before suffering a crash - immediately stepping off his bike and abandoning the race. After medical examinations, the team have confirmed that he has suffered a fractured clavicle [collarbone].

Later in the stage, Onley crashed on the final descent before the Côte de Crest Voland. Television cameras did not pick up the crash, and it was only reported after the stage finish when Onley had not been part of the general classification battle in the peloton.

Revealing the crash, Matteo Jorgenson claimed to have witnessed Onley go over the edge of the road and crash as he admitted to have been 'spooked' by the incident. After concern about his wellbeing, Onley finished the stage 29 minutes and 17 seconds down on the winner.

Later examinations found that the British rider suffered a dislocated shoulder and multiple wounds to his legs. He won't start Saturday's seventh stage. “Both riders will remain under the care of our medical team for further treatment,” the team said in a statement.

The news is a double blow for both the team and riders. For Tarling, the time-trial specialist was hoping to ride himself into contention for Tour de France selection while Onley was set for a dual leadership role in July.

While Tarling's injury will all but rule him out of the Tour, Onley's recovery timeline is unclear. Either way, the news represents a blow for Netcompany Ineos for both the WorldTour stage race and their Tour de France ambitions just over three weeks before the Grand Depart.