Words by Daniel Benson
By his own admission, 2024 has been a year of highs and lows for Oscar Onley but the Scottish climber is ready to make his Tour de France debut on Saturday as he targets a stage win in the biggest race in the men’s calendar.
The Team dsm-firmenich PostNL climber has already had a breakthrough season, winning the Queen stage of the Tour Down Under, and recently finishing a highly creditable eighth overall at the Tour de Suisse. There have been setbacks too, with two broken collarbones disrupting his campaign but the Tour debutant has remained upbeat, and with the support of the team he’s looking to make history for himself, and Team dsm-firmenich PostNL.
In fact, Onley could also make history for his nation. He might not be the only Scottish rider to start the Tour in the last couple of decades but he’s certainly the first natural Scottish climber since Philippa York made her debut in the race as Robert Millar back in 1983.
That year Millar won a stage, and would go on to win two more during a glittering Tour career that also included a King of the Mountains title and a fourth overall in Paris. By coincidence, Millar’s first stage win came on the road between Pau and Bagnères-de-Luchon, and this year’s race has both a stage and finish in Pau, and also crosses Bagnères-de-Luchon on stage 15. The omens of an Onley success story are already stacking up.
“As a fellow Scot my main advice for Oscar is don’t get sunburnt but really he’s in a unique position as the only Scottish rider in the race,” Philippa York told us ahead of the Tour.
“On a support level, normally there will be a Scottish fan at the start or finish of every stage, so that will be a nice aspect for Oscar that should make him feel a bit special. He’ll also have a lot more support than in previous eras because of social media. Everyone can follow him online and I think more fans will engage with Oscar because they know more about him and his life,” she added.
“A bit like Oscar, I turned up in 1983 for my first Tour as a part of a team, but I was the climbing aid to the team leader. I wasn’t second in the team but I was looked after on the climbing stages. I think that Oscar will be in a similar position in that he’ll get chances. He might stay with someone like Romain Bardet for as long as possible in the breaks but he might find himself in a really good position because when he’s on form he looks like a really talented climber.”