Oscar Onley’s rapid learning curve<\/p>\n
Onley started cycling at 10 years old after becoming interested in the sport when his mum watched the Tour de France on TV every year, he told Cycling Weekly in 2023<\/a>. First memories are of the 2010 race, in which Alberto Contador<\/a> and Andy Schleck<\/a> went head-to-head in an absorbing battle.<\/p>\n Onley quickly joined a club, but it was cross-country running that was his passion. A simple realisation that cycling training was more enjoyable than running set him on his current two-wheeled path.<\/p>\n Continually learning about himself, what drives him, what motivates him, enables a quick progression in a sport of high demands.<\/p>\n In an even more nuanced understanding of what exactly he enjoys about the hard work necessary to reach the upper echelons of his chosen sport, Onley revealed<\/a>:<\/p>\n “I just really enjoy the process of training, sometimes even more than racing. Having a clear plan and seeing the progression through the weeks, that\u2019s something I\u2019m quite interested in. It\u2019s not so much the numbers, just that feeling in the legs after getting in from a hard session, that\u2019s what I enjoy.”<\/p>\n Learning to trust those around him, trust the process as athletes are so fond of saying, has been imperative, too.<\/p>\n “You need to have a lot of trust in (your coaches) \u2013 because when they\u2019re sending you out to do five hours in the rain, you have to have faith that it\u2019s going to make you better,” he acknowledged.<\/p>\n Enjoying those fleeting special moments of success is also key to the whole package of being a successful racer with Onley playfully captioning a photo<\/a> on Instagram of him straining with exertion to beat UAE Team Emirates XRG’s Joao Almeida<\/a> at the Tour de Suisse in June:<\/p>\n “Celebration needs some work \ud83e\udee3.”<\/p>\n A more reflective comment followed:<\/p>\n “Stoked to get the win today after so much investment from everyone @teampicnicpostnl recently \ud83d\ude4f and a nice cup of confidence for myself \ud83d\udcc8”<\/p>\n And the hardest thing that Onley has found so far?<\/p>\n Putting into words his appreciation of the support team vital for a successful rider.<\/p>\n