The podium announcer raises his voice as he reads out Oscar Onley’s name before stage two of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Men. The Picnic PostNL rider smiles and waves, and in front of him, the crowds roar back. It’s the loudest noise they’ve made all morning in Stowmarket, pitched under the rain beside the town’s cinema. The reception, Onley knows, is likely to become more regular for him.
After his performance at the Tour de France this July, where he finished fourth as the best-placed Brit, often holding pace with Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, the 22-year-old has noticed his celebrity grow. No longer is he just a promising young climber, now he’s a bonafide GC contender.
