"When G won the Tour de France in 2018, it felt different" – Eight years on, Oscar Onley follows Geraint Thomas into INEOS’ new era

For Oscar Onley, joining INEOS is not just a career move. It is a return to the team he grew up watching, dreaming about and measuring himself against.

“If I told 10-year-old me that I was going to be, well, it was Team Sky at the time and now it’s INEOS, that I’d be joining the team one day, he wouldn’t believe it,” Onley said in conversation on the INEOS Grenadiers YouTube channel.

Even now, the speed of the rise still surprises him. “Even last year, I wouldn’t have believed it.”

The change has come quickly, but not easily. And the reason this team matters to him runs much deeper than contracts or calendars.

When asked about his favourite moment in cycling history, Onley went straight to one race. “I probably have to say it now because he’s one of my bosses, but G winning the Tour in 2018 was pretty cool.”

He had watched British winners before, but that one stood out. “I grew up watching Wiggins win the Tour as well, but I think when G won in 2018, it felt a little bit different.”

What stayed with him was not dominance, but humanity. “He wasn’t someone who had been dominating before,” Onley said. “He doesn’t make it look easy when he wins.”

That mattered to a young rider trying to imagine what his own future could look like.

Years later, Onley found himself racing alongside the same rider he once watched on television. “Over the last couple of years racing with him and seeing how hard he works, not just when he’s going for his own result but preparing for his goals, it’s something I really take inspiration from.”

Now Thomas has moved into a new role inside the team, and that relationship has only deepened. “I was really glad when I heard that he was going to take on this new role and still be part of the team. I’ve already had quite a few phone calls and video calls with him.”

Those conversations are not just tactical. “He was my age once and he knows what I’m going through and what to expect in the coming months and years,” Onley said. “He’s someone I can keep in contact with whenever I have a question, not just about cycling but about the team as well.”

For a rider stepping into a completely new environment, that matters. “It’s a whole new environment for me and everything is different, so having someone I can contact and ask how things work is something I don’t take for granted.”

INEOS has always been more than just another WorldTour team in Onley’s mind. “It was the team I grew up wanting to join when I was younger, obviously being a British team at the time and having some of the top British talent.”

What struck him most when he first turned professional was the scale. “When I first turned pro, looking across and seeing the amount of support they had at races, it’s something you notice and want to be part of.”

That British thread still matters to him, even in a global team. “I think also having that British aspect is quite nice. Obviously, there are a lot of different nationalities on the team as well, but to still have that British core is exciting.”

He also sees INEOS as a team that does not wait for races to suit them. “I think a team like INEOS is really good at looking at opportunities in other places and creating exciting racing moments, and hopefully I can be part of that.”

Onley is clear about what he wants from this move. “I’m really looking forward to targeting the biggest races, the Grand Tours, with a team like this.”

He sees his arrival as part of something being built. “I think it’s a really exciting project that we’re starting, with myself and also some other riders in the team.”

But belief has to be earned. “I really want to kick on from last season and prove that I belong towards the top of these races, in the biggest races as well.”

His approach is simple. “I want to put myself in the best position possible to go into these races in the best form I can.”

What comes after that, he knows, cannot be controlled. “Then whatever happens from there happens. That part is kind of out of my control. But my focus is on getting the most out of myself and arriving at these big targets in the best possible shape, and then seeing what happens.”

In 2018, Geraint Thomas changed how British riders were seen at the very top of the sport. He did it without looking untouchable, and without making it look easy.

Eight years later, the young rider who watched that moment is now walking into the same team, guided by the same figure, and aiming for the same summit.

This time, Oscar Onley is not watching. He is stepping forward to try to write his own version of that story.