An introverted extrovert, Oscar is initially a quieter person, but he soon opens up more and his broad smile and joyful attitude radiates out of him as he takes about his passion for bikes and racing.
Hailing from Kelso in the rolling hills of the Scottish Borders, Oscar was introduced to cycling by his local club which held their 10-mile time trial basically in front of his own doorstep. Initially he played football, then cricket and tennis but at the age of ten he was able to join the cycling club and start to compete. From there he progressed to doing more national races in Scotland, then throughout the whole of Britain before also racing on the continent as a junior.
Yet, it was a toss-up between cycling and running for younger Oscar, who was also a talented cross-country athlete, but he eventually found himself on two-wheels as he preferred to do his running training on the bike, so there was only ever going to be one winner.
2022 saw Oscar take a breakthrough win over the climbs to Cervinia at the Giro Valle d’Aosta before an exceptional third on GC at the CRO Race – which catapulted him into the wider cycling world’s conscience; all while still riding for the Development program.
However, his humble Scottish demeanour means Oscar has remained level-headed and is still the “same guy he was before”; and he wants to learn as much as possible from the team and the other more experienced riders around him so that he can be the best cyclist he possibly can. A reflective person, he also highlights that there are still quite a few weaknesses that he needs to work on.
Oscar took confidence from joining a Team GC Camp in 2022, knowing he “wasn’t too far off them” and the ambitious Scot is determined to bring himself to that level in the coming years – after he signed a contract through to the end of 2027 with the team.
Making the step up to WorldTour in 2023 with the Men’s program, an individual win eluded the young Scot who came close on several occasions with a handful of top fives throughout the season. Yet, at the Vuelta a España, where he marked his Grand Tour debut, Oscar was influential in the team time trial victory on the opening stage. It was a bittersweet debut though as a crash the following day forced him to abandon, but it only left him hungrier for more in the future. He made a spectacular return to racing in 2024 by conquering Willunga Hill, claiming his first-ever professional victory on the iconic Tour Down Under summit finish and securing fourth place in the GC. Despite battling further injuries throughout the year, Oscar demonstrated his remarkable fighting spirit and came back even stronger. Over the course of the season, he achieved several impressive results, including second place in the GC at the Tour of Britain, where he also won the young riders’ classification, and the same result at WorldTour level Tour of Guangxi.
Reflecting on who he is as a person, Oscar describes himself as motivated, a bit obsessive, and punctual. He says a lot of those things help him in his career as a cyclist, although he jokes that his obsession sometimes gets the best of him outside his time on the bike – “if I start a new hobby then I get really involved in it and want to learn everything I can”.
When he’s not racing you can find Oscar relaxing and spending time with friends at a local café, honing his swing on the golf course or practicing his cooking skills while listening to some chill rap music.