“I was half expecting to completely lose GC” - Oscar Onley goes from overnight sickness scare to fifth overall and Vuelta white jersey
CyclingTuesday, 25 August 2026 at 19:00
Oscar Onley went into stage 4 of the Vuelta a Espana half-expecting overnight sickness to wreck his general classification. He came out of the first major mountain showdown fifth overall and wearing the white jersey.
The Netcompany INEOS leader finished sixth in Andorra la Vella after staying with the strongest GC riders behind Tadej Pogacar, who had blown the race apart with an attack from around 50 kilometres out.
Rather than losing minutes after being ill the previous night, Onley moved to within 24 seconds of second place and 13 seconds of the podium.
“Going into the stage, I was half expecting to completely lose GC [after being sick last night], so it was nice to be in the fight in the group behind Tadej [Pogacar],” Onley told official Vuelta media afterwards. “I’m relieved.”
Onley surprises himself after overnight sickness
After Monday’s planned summit finish at Font Romeu was cancelled because of extreme weather, Andorra became the first real chance to judge the GC field in sustained climbing. For Onley, it was also a stage he had already identified as particularly important after losing time in the opening Monaco time trial.
“Obviously I was a bit behind after the TT,” he explained. “When I looked at the stages, I circled this one as a big day for the GC riders at a similar level. With the downhill finish and the short climbs, I was basically expecting how it played out with a small group coming to the line.”
“I felt okay actually. I kind of surprised myself,” Onley added. “Luckily, I could eat this morning, and I ate normal last night, so I don’t think it’s such a big thing.”
Once Pogacar attacked on the Collada de Beixalis, Onley remained in the fight behind. He later followed Felix Gall when the Austrian accelerated on the Coll d’Ordino, before Primoz Roglic bridged across and the strongest chasers eventually regrouped ahead of the Alto de La Comella.
Pogacar was already minutes clear by then, but Onley stayed among the riders fighting for the remaining places and crossed the line sixth. Only Jarno Widar, Roglic, Enric Mas and Sepp Kuss from the chase finished ahead of him.
Fifth overall and into the white jersey
Onley now sits fifth overall at 3:45 behind Pogacar, just one second behind Kuss in fourth and 13 seconds behind Mas in third. With Roglic second at 3:21, only 24 seconds separate Onley from second place.
Onley also moved into the lead of the young rider classification, 21 seconds ahead of Widar. “The white jersey matches the shorts, it’s always good!” he joked. “It’s a nice goal. With the ambitions that I have, hopefully the white jersey comes as a nice bonus.”
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The white jersey battle is far from settled, with Widar having underlined his own form by sprinting to second behind Pogacar in Andorra. The Belgian trails Onley by 21 seconds in that classification and sits ninth overall, while the wider fight behind Pogacar remains separated by seconds.
“[Jarno Widar] is obviously really strong,” Onley added. “That kick he had in the end… The upcoming stages are gonna be quite tricky so for sure it’s not over.”
Onley therefore leaves Andorra fifth overall, within 13 seconds of the podium and in white, having begun the morning unsure whether sickness would allow him to remain in the GC fight at all.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- OK, I've read all your explanations and I accept them... don't necessarily agree with all of them, but accept them. But I still love Pogi... yeah baby!!!PogiSloFans25-08-2026
- Should be an interesting battle... Onley is on paper the stronger climber but Widar is faster and bonus seconds can be very important
Rafionain-Glas25-08-2026 - I have my own life, don’t need to be a fanboyJumpyjohn25-08-2026
- I’m not watching cos there’s zero excitement in knowing the result, barring accidents, beforehand. He’s an unbelievable cyclist, etc but there’s plenty things in life to do, and watching Pogacar destroy the opposition whenever he feels like it, and with nobody remotely threatening himwhenever doesn’t stand out as a very interesting way to spend my time. Of course I understand someone who wants him to win might find it great viewing, but not really me. Without excitement sport doesn’t do much for me.AndrewK25-08-2026
- I had to do my laundry.
santiagobenites25-08-2026 - When you win by cheating, that is not considered a legitimate win, and therefore counts for nothing. It is not an honorable achievement by any standard.. you can erase LA's name from the record books and nobody will care. Except perhaps to a few people who value cheating as a human virtue to be emulated.FredMan25-08-2026
- tell me how sprinters help vingegaard. Their irrelevant in that picture. Yes sprinters can win races and Visma is honsetly a better sprinter team now these days than they have climbers their roster there is incredible incredible weak and declining. Lets hope they can save this sinking ship and ppl leaving Visma and get some money i hope for thatmiguel25-08-2026
- Yawn - wake us up when it’s overCrashjames25-08-2026
- I am watching the Vuelta, but expect to be much more entertained by the rest of the podium fight and the other jerseys than by Pogi's procession. I enjoy watching Pogi much more on stages where he doesn't just solo forever. The way he responded to Wout in stage 2, for example, was great. He just loves to race, and it's fun to watch. That said, a 50 km TT is I am sure fun for Slovenian Pogi fanbois such as yourself, but it seems to blind you to how others might get a little bored watching that same story over and over again. It doesn't really bother me too much, I am happy to focus on the less predictable storylines in the race, and enjoy those Pogi moments where he animates stages that are a bit more like classics parcours.DAS25-08-2026
- I assumed that even before the start of the Vuelta.MajorPayne25-08-2026
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