“I was up all night on the toilet”: “Relieved” Oscar Onley overcomes stomach trouble (and those Netcompany Ineos shorts) to take Vuelta white jersey in “surprising” ride + more on the live blog

Oscar Onley hasn’t been blessed with much luck this season, has he?

Since making the jump from Picnic PostNL to Netcompany Ineos over the winter, the 23-year-old Scot has been beset by injury and illness, and was forced to miss the Tour de France (where he finished fourth in 2025) with a shoulder problem.

So, imagine how Oscar felt when – three days into the Vuelta, his grand tour at his new team, and the night before the race’s first big mountain test in Andorra – he was hit with, ahem, stomach issues. Or, to quote the man himself, he was forced to spend “all night on the toilet”.

Lovely.

> Riding a different race: Tadej Pogačar pulls off the longest solo grand tour attack of his career to wrap up the 2026 Vuelta… four days in

Fortunately, Onley managed to winch himself off his hotel toilet and recover in time to put in a very impressive performance in the Pyrenees, finishing fourth on the day after forming part of the elite group of podium contenders which coalesced in the wake of runaway red jersey Tadej Pogačar’s race-destroying 50km solo attack.

A spirited sprint for the bonus seconds on the final climb means Onley now sits fifth overall, 3.45 down on the five-time Tour de France winner, propelling him into the white best young rider’s jersey. And best of all (probably), he survived what could have been a very dangerous day wearing Netcompany Ineos’ questionable white shorts.

 

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“Considering I was up all night on the toilet, I’m actually pretty happy,” the 23-year-old told the Vuelta’s media team after the race.

When asked to clarify that he was suffering from stomach problems, Onley simply said: “Yeah.”

He was then asked whether he could have done anything to stop Pogačar. “No, not really,” came the response. “We just let him do his thing, then we raced between ourselves. I knew I couldn’t go with that attack, so yeah, I just did what I could on that climb.”

In a longer interview with organisers Unipublic, Onley revealed that his lengthy stint on the loo the previous night had left him convinced that his podium bid was set to go up in smoke in Andorra.

“Going into the stage, I was half expecting to completely lose GC, so it was nice to be in the fight in the group behind Tadej. I’m relieved,” he said, stumbling into an excellent double entendre.

 

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“I felt okay actually. I kind of surprised myself. Luckily, I could eat this morning, and I ate normal last night, so I don’t think it’s such a big thing.

“Obviously I was a bit behind after the TT. When I looked at the stages, I circled this one as a big day for the GC riders at a similar level. With the downhill finish and the short climbs, I was basically expecting how it played out with a small group coming to the line. So far, so good.

“The white jersey matches the shorts, it’s always good!” he continued, rather ominously considering the circumstances, when asked about his new hold on the young rider’s classification.

“It’s a nice goal. With the ambitions that I have, hopefully the white jersey comes as a nice bonus. [Jarno Widar] is obviously really strong. That kick he had in the end… The upcoming stages are gonna be quite tricky so for sure it’s not over.”

I’ve got some even better news than the white jersey for you Oscar – you’ve managed, somehow, to avoid featuring in an updated version of this Pulitzer-worthy feature:

> From Deux Moulins to Dumoulin: Pro cycling’s most iconic toilet stops

I reckon his luck is finally turning…

It’s probably a day too late, if we’re honest, but the decision has been made to pull Cian Uijtdebroeks out of the Vuelta.

The 23-year-old Belgian crashed on Sunday, with tests later revealing he’d suffered a crack in his ankle. Heavily bandaged, Uijtdebroeks raced yesterday’s stage on his adopted home roads in Andorra but was dropped early on the first climb.

In emotional scenes posted on social media, he crossed the line dead last, over 26 minutes behind stage winner Tadej Pogačar, the Belgian looking in considerable pain as he was consoled by his teammates.

 

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And, according to his Movistar team this morning, another set of tests revealed that the damage Uijtdebroeks sustained in Sunday’s spill was even worse, leading to his rather sensible DNS today.

“Cian Uijtdebroeks will not take the start this Wednesday at the Vuelta,” the Spanish squad said in a statement this morning.

“Following further tests and examinations, it has been determined that the injury sustained in his crash during the second stage is more extensive than initially estimated.

“The team has decided that Cian will withdraw from the race so that he can begin his recovery as soon as possible.”

We’ve got a women’s racing special on the pod this week, and I spend quite a bit of time moaning about a surly French photographer…

> What makes Demi Vollering the greatest stage racer of her generation? + The growth of women’s cycling and why the Tour de France Femmes’ visit to Mont Ventoux was so significant