Fourth in the Tour de France last summer, Oscar Onley left the Picnic-PostNL team two years before the end of his contract and joined the ranks of the Ineos Grenadiers team as part of a transfer estimated at several million euros.
Oscar Onley won his case. Under contract with the Picnic-PostNL team until 2027, the British rider had desires elsewhere and will change colors from the start of the 2026 season. Part of the revelations of the last Tour de France, in which he took fourth place, the native of Kelso has made a name for himself and has attracted the desire of certain big cars in the professional peloton. Through a press release, the Dutch team confirmed that they had “reached an agreement for the transfer of Oscar Onley”. An outcome that the absence of the rider during the Picnic-PostNL team’s preparation course made appear inevitable.
An offer “too tempting” to refuse
Claiming to have “received several offers for his departure, all initially refused”, the team led by Iwan Spekenbrink admitted that a “last minute, but very interesting, offer was made in recent days”. The latter was “too attractive for the rider as well as for the team, and an agreement was therefore reached”.
Thus, Oscar Onley will take charge of the Ineos Grenadiers team, which has not yet confirmed the recruitment of the 23-year-old runner. According to information from the specialized site
Bike flashthe British team would have put on the table no less than seven million euros to make the leaders of the Dutch team give in.
A sum presented as significantly higher than the rider’s remuneration over the remaining two years of the contract. Affirming to be “extremely proud” of his time within the Picnic-PostNL team, Oscar Onley assures that his progression over the years “testifies to the potential of this team”. “The Picnic-PostNL and Ineos Grenadiers teams both have a long tradition of winning Grand Tours, and I know that my current team and my new team will continue this momentum in the years to come,” he added. The Briton concedes that “the opportunity to represent (his) country’s team was too good to refuse” and says he is “happy that a solution has been found”.
