“The body reacted like I wanted it to” - Oscar Onley rebounds in Vuelta time trial to nearly double white jersey lead
Cycling
Oscar Onley emerged from the decisive Stage 18 time trial at the 2026 Vuelta a Espana with renewed confidence in his form and a substantially stronger grip on the white jersey.
The Netcompany INEOS leader recorded the 15th-fastest time over the flat 32.1-kilometre course between El Puerto de Santa Maria and Jerez de la Frontera. More importantly for his own ambitions, he gained 27 seconds on Jakob Omrzel and increased his lead in the youth classification from 30 to 57 seconds.
Onley had spoken during the second week about attempting to rediscover the level he showed earlier in the race. His performance against the clock provided an encouraging answer before the two remaining mountain stages.
“I think I executed it pretty well. The body reacted like I wanted it to,” he said after finishing. “I felt I could go deep, so I’m pretty happy with today.”
Oscar Onley strengthens white-jersey position
The largely flat course offered few obvious opportunities to ease off, forcing the GC contenders to maintain their aerodynamic positions for prolonged periods while carefully judging where to make their hardest efforts.
“It was really fast,” Onley explained. “It was a tricky one to pace, because there was no obvious part where you could recover, but there were parts where you had to go pretty deep. It was quite hard, but there’s always small moments where you can take a breather.”
His ride did not change his fifth place in the general classification, but it strengthened his position on two fronts. Onley now trails fourth-placed Richard Carapaz by only 46 seconds, while Omrzel sits 57 seconds behind him in sixth. With the time trial completed, both contests will be settled in the mountains rather than against the clock.
No energy saved before final mountain battles
Onley dismissed any suggestion that the leading riders might have moderated their efforts with two demanding stages still to come. With significant gaps possible over 32.1 kilometres, conserving energy was not a realistic option.
“I think, or at least I hope, everyone in the GC went as hard as they could today,” he said. “You’re never gonna hold anything back in a TT.”
Nor does the 21-year-old expect the effort to compromise his performance in the mountains. “It’s a short effort and we can recover pretty quick from it. I don’t think it will really affect the next days. I’m looking forward to the next couple of days.”
Onley will begin the final mountain double-header 6:03 behind race leader Enric Mas. Overall victory is now distant, but fourth place remains within striking range and his advantage over Omrzel gives him valuable protection in the fight to carry the white jersey to Granada.
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.
claps 2visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- for what?frieders311-11-2026
- Blah blah blah!frieders311-11-2026
- Where Merckx just rode every single race he could and won all the time, Hinault won less often (percentage wise) because he was more judicious in what he raced. His palmares are nuts. He had amazing rivals, one to start his career and another to end it in the grand tours. His classics were solid. What sets him apart from Merckx and Pogačar are that he basically dabbled in the classics while the other two love(d) them. I used to compare Pogačar to Hinault for his grand tour record and occasional classics win, until I realized that the comparison was wrong. Pogačar loves the classics - ah, the memory of his reaction to finishing fourth in a 2 person sprint in Flanders in ‘22: utter domination in any one day race since then, even when he doesn’t win. Hinault lived for the grand tours and I don’t think anyone else will ever reach his record. 10 wins in 13 attempts? Good lord. An amazing rider. Wish there was more footage to watch.RidesHills11-11-2026
- I had no idea about that either.
santiagobenites10-11-2026 - great analysis thanks! appreciate you posting this. I didn't realize CX had a different standard for deviation. this is even more egregious it seems.mij10-11-2026
- As he isn't currently with Red Bull, I guess if he want to race for one more year he needs to find a team. He's 37 so this will be his last year I would guess, unless he wants to race for almost nothing like Froome did.awp10-11-2026
- I think some are making much ado about nothing. Even though Jonas is getting older, before his crash in the Tour, he looked like a solid 2nd all the way home. No one can really climb with Tadej until this year, Eric Mas showed himself which I think was a one off year for him and Paul Seixas has been able to be pretty close to him. Whatever stage race Jonas enters as long as Tadej is not there he is a favorite to win.awp10-11-2026
- Giro or not Giro, he won't win the Tour!MajorPayne10-11-2026
- Very true.awp10-11-2026
- Ciccone had a very strong end of season. Consistently attacking and livening up races. Hope he makes that last leap in progress and starts notching some significant wins. Great rider to watch.Occam10-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment