Oscar Onley back at Netcompany INEOS Tour training camp three days after his scary Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes crash

The 2026 Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes dealt a heavy blow to Netcompany INEOS plans for Tour de France this summer. While the shape of Kevin Vauquelin and Carlos Rodríguez left something to be desired, the expected leader Oscar Onley crashed hard, leaving a massive question mark over his Grande Boucle participation. Velo reports that the Brit rejoined Netcompany INEOS pre-Tour camp and is preparing for the Grand Depart in Barcelona with the rest of team selection.

The sixth stage started poorly for INEOS with another cornerstone of Tour lineup Joshua Tarling crashing out of the breakaway in the first half of the stage. The timetrialist suffered a broken collarbone.

However the crash of Oscar Onley was incomparably more scary as the 23-year-old plunged over a roadside barrier on the day's final descent.

"I think it was a left-hander, he just overshot slightly," director of racing Geraint Thomas told Cyclingnews. "We’re staying positive. It could have been much worse."

The crash itself was not caught by any of the television cameras, so further details come from Onley's rescuers, in particular Team Visma | Lease a Bike DS Frans Maassen.

"We only saw his bike, and a few meters further on, we looked into a very deep ravine. It must really have been one of the last trees he ended up in," Maassen shared with Wielerflits.

"Our men from the team car, together with people from the organization, were able to very carefully hoist him back up from that tree. In that regard, he was incredibly lucky. It could have ended much worse."

Given the extremely dangerous nature of such a fall, it's almost by a miracle that Onley had suffered "merely" a dislocated shoulder and wounds to his legs. Of course, evenn though Onley crossed the finish line 29 minutes behind stage winner, it was a race over. But Tour de France could remain on the cards with three weeks to recover. Both physically and mentally.

With Onley and Tarling's start-eligibility still to be decided, the INEOS Tour lineup is only gradually starting to take shape. For the moment, Velo lists Filippo Ganna, Carlos Rodríguez, Michal Kwiatkowski, Kavin Vauquelin, Dorian Godon and Thymen Arensman as likely starters.

Tarling should, in theory, be ready following a surgery last weekend. Onley's case is more delicate and Velo offers Andrew August as a potential back-up with leadership responsibility shifting towards former Tour 5th place Rodríguez or last year's 7th place Vauquelin.