“The gap just exploded” - Oscar Onley’s Vuelta podium dream collapses on stage 20 as INEOS support saves white jersey for British leader
Cycling
Oscar Onley’s pursuit of a first Grand Tour podium ended on the queen stage of the 2026 Vuelta a Espana as a momentary separation on the Puerto de El Purche developed into one of the heaviest defeats of his race.
The 23-year-old finished stage 20 in 19th position, 10:19 behind Mikel Landa and 3:25 behind red jersey Enric Mas. Sepp Kuss crossed the line 5:44 earlier, carrying the American from 11th to fifth overall as Onley dropped one place to sixth.
“It was hard,” Onley admitted afterwards. “Obviously the way this race is going, everyone wants to go in the breakaway, and the GC group is smaller than the front of the race for most of the day.”
Ten metres on El Purche
More than 60 riders occupied the two groups ahead of the general classification contenders during the chaotic opening half of the stage. Kuss exploited that unusual race situation when he attacked on the first ascent of El Purche, with several Team Visma | Lease a Bike riders already further up the road.
Carapaz accelerated over the steepest part of the climb and bridged across to Kuss. Decathlon CMA CGM Team reacted behind, with Gall eventually taking responsibility for closing the move.
“Everyone expected Carapaz to go,” Onley explained. “Sepp [Kuss] went first, and Carapaz jumped across. I followed the others, but I just missed ten metres on top of Monachil the first time.”
Gall’s chase reduced the group to Mas, Roglic, Carapaz and the Austrian. Onley remained close to them at the summit, but he waited for the next group rather than attempting to close the final metres alone.
The riders ahead continued working after the top. By the time Onley found support behind, the original ten-metre separation had become a lasting divide between the leading four and the rest of the general classification contenders. “Then the gap just exploded out by the time I waited for the group behind,” he said. “That was it, really.”
Onley was initially joined by Jakob Omrzel, Clement Berthet and Jack Haig, but the deficit continued growing on the descent and valley road towards the second ascent of El Purche. It had reached approximately three minutes before the stage entered its final series of climbs.
Podium ambition ends on the queen's stage.
Onley had made a Grand Tour podium one of his major career targets after finishing fourth at the 2025 Tour de France. His first season with Netcompany INEOS was repeatedly interrupted by illness and crashes, including the shoulder injury which ruled him out of returning to the Tour in July.
The Vuelta gave Onley another opportunity to pursue that goal. He followed Mas on the Alto de Aitana and finished second on stage 9, moving into fourth overall and establishing himself among the leading podium contenders.
A crash and subsequent time loss on the road to Calar Alto pushed him down to fifth. Onley nevertheless began stage 20 exactly 3:02 behind Gall, with more than 5,000 metres of climbing and five classified ascents still to negotiate.
Jack Haig played a key role in support of Onley on Stage 20
Kuss gained 2:19 on Mas through his long-range attack. Onley moved in the opposite direction, conceding 3:25 to the red jersey and 3:42 to Gall. Gall finished the stage 3:42 ahead of Onley, increasing the gap between them in the general classification from 3:02 to 6:44. Kuss’s 5:44 gain over the British rider was enough to take fifth place from him.
INEOS turn attention to the white jersey
With the leading general classification riders beyond reach, Netcompany INEOS redirected its efforts towards keeping Onley ahead of Omrzel in the youth classification.
“We focused on protecting the white jersey,” Onley confirmed. “We had a really strong team again today. We had most of the guys up the road, so we could connect with them at different points. They really pulled hard.”
Riders from the British team dropped back from the groups ahead at different stages of the pursuit. Onley credited that support with helping him through the succession of steep climbs and maintaining his advantage over Omrzel.
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Only seven seconds separated the two young riders at the finish. Onley crossed the line 19th at 10:19, with Omrzel taking 20th at 10:26. “I thank them, not just for today, but for the whole race,” Onley said of his team-mates. “They’ve been really incredible. The support they’ve given me deep into the stages has been something incredible.”
Onley will enter Sunday’s final stage sixth overall at 9:28 from Mas, 43 seconds behind Kuss in fifth. His advantage over Omrzel stands at 1:10, leaving the British rider one flat day in Granada away from winning the white jersey on his Vuelta debut.
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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