{"id":260426,"date":"2026-08-31T08:06:25","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T08:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/recovering-oscar-onley-remains-in-gc-battle-in-vuelta-a-espana\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T08:06:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T08:06:25","slug":"recovering-oscar-onley-remains-in-gc-battle-in-vuelta-a-espana","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/31\/recovering-oscar-onley-remains-in-gc-battle-in-vuelta-a-espana\/","title":{"rendered":"Recovering Oscar Onley remains in GC battle in Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<p id=\"elk-9e6d27c2-a50d-11f1-a76e-1f3e465ab207\">Oscar Onley might not have been able to outduel <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-race-leader-enric-mas-outsprints-oscar-onley-to-win-stage-9-on-alto-de-aitana\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-race-leader-enric-mas-outsprints-oscar-onley-to-win-stage-9-on-alto-de-aitana\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/vuelta-a-espana-race-leader-enric-mas-outsprints-oscar-onley-to-win-stage-9-on-alto-de-aitana\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Enric Mas in their summit finish battle on Sunday <\/a>in the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a but the<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/road\/teams\/uci-worldtour\/2026\/netcompany-ineos\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/road\/teams\/uci-worldtour\/2026\/netcompany-ineos\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/road\/teams\/uci-worldtour\/2026\/netcompany-ineos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> Netcompany Ineos<\/a> rider had reasons to celebrate all the same.<\/p>\n<p>Afflicted by illness earlier in the race, Onley&#8217;s fast-improving condition saw the Scottish racer follow Mas closely to the line when the Vuelta leader launched his key move, some two kilometres from the summit of the mammoth 22-kilometre climb.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<aside data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-block-type=\"embed\" data-render-type=\"fte\" data-skip=\"dealsy\" data-widget-type=\"seasonal\" class=\"ecom-root\"\/>\n<p id=\"elk-9e6d27c2-a50d-11f1-a76e-1f3e465ab207-2\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">Mas then made a driving long acceleration on the finishing straight to emerge the clear victor ahead of Onley and strengthen his overall advantage into the bargain. At the same time, though, Onley&#8217;s second place and the time gap of 12 seconds to the next finisher <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/primoz-roglic\/\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/primoz-roglic\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/primoz-roglic\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Primo\u017e Rogli\u010d<\/a> (Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe) helped him consolidate his fourth place on GC, and confirmed that his illness is behind him.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-6 w-full overflow-hidden rounded-[10px] lg:my-8\" data-component-name=\"JwPlayer:Carousel\" data-jwp-carousel=\"\" data-jwp-carousel-payload=\"{&quot;ids&quot;:{&quot;playerID&quot;:&quot;jYDCcabO&quot;,&quot;searchPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;divID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;fallbackPlaylistID&quot;:&quot;gwjdoYHD&quot;,&quot;fallbackDivID&quot;:&quot;botr_gwjdoYHD_jYDCcabO_div&quot;,&quot;key&quot;:&quot;X9\\\/mXVGac0NphghLH9hZaqWA5d3dhAM\\\/Ih07grnEyMLjuO2E&quot;,&quot;tintLogo&quot;:true,&quot;useSearchPlaylist&quot;:false,&quot;enabled&quot;:true},&quot;signPostingEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;signPostingLinkEnabled&quot;:true,&quot;waitForAdLoad&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnDesktop&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnMobile&quot;:false,&quot;hidePlayerOnTablet&quot;:false}\">\n<div class=\"flex flex-nowrap items-center justify-between gap-3 bg-zinc-900 px-[14px] py-3\" data-jwp-carousel-header=\"\">\n<p><span class=\"inline-flex items-center gap-1.5 text-sm font-article-heading capitalize leading-5 text-white whitespace-nowrap\"><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-mobile\"\/><span class=\"jwp-carousel-title-desktop\">Latest Videos From<\/span><span class=\"jwp-carousel-brand\">Cyclingnews<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">After Saturday he had already felt much better, though this was a further step up. &#8220;Today was the first day I felt fully back to normal,&#8221; Onley told <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurosport.es\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.eurosport.es\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>Eurosport.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;It took longer than I was expecting, I actually felt good on Andorra, but then it hit me and now I&#8217;m back to normal.&#8221;<\/p>\n<aside data-component-name=\"Recirculation:ArticleRiver\" data-recirculation-type=\"inline\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"Trending Bar\" data-nosnippet=\"\" class=\"clear-both pt-2 pb-0 mb-4\">\n        <span class=\"&#10;            flex&#10;            after:content-[''] after:flex-1 after:ml-4 after:my-[0.7rem] after:border-t after:border-solid after:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            before:content-[''] before:flex-1 before:mr-4 before:my-[0.7rem] before:border-t before:border-solid before:border-t-[#ccc]&#10;            font-article-heading pb-0 text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,1em)] uppercase sm:text-[length:var(--article-river-title--font-size,0.875em)] font-bold&#10;        \"><br \/>\n            You may like<br \/>\n        <\/span><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The finale of the hardest day of climbing so far in the Vuelta, with more than 5,000 metres of elevation gain, was conditioned by Decathlon CMA CGM&#8217;s determined and lengthy drive to pull back the break. However, things turned slightly awry for the French team when their leader Felix Gall was unable to either anticipate or follow the key move made by Mas (Movistar) and Onley.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;I think it was a bit different to the other days, Decathlon burned through their guys [quicker] than they&#8217;d have liked maybe, or that I was expecting, so by the time we turned right onto the last part of the climb we were all isolated,&#8221; Onley explained to <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurosport.es\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.eurosport.es\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\"><em>Eurosport<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"slice-container-newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-VayMDfdAT5WHujvurUnjCW\" class=\"slice-container newsletter-inbodyContent-slice newsletterForm-articleInbodyContent-VayMDfdAT5WHujvurUnjCW slice-container-newsletterForm\">\n<div data-hydrate=\"true\" class=\"newsletter-form__wrapper newsletter-form__wrapper--inbodyContent\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-form__container\">\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__top-bar\"\/>\n<section class=\"newsletter-form__main-section\">\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;There were a lot of attacks, we were all looking at each other, and to be honest, a final like that, it&#8217;s hard to create bigger time gaps, so it was a lot of stop-start, which kind of worked in my favour.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/oscar-onley\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/oscar-onley\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/riders\/oscar-onley\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Onley<\/a> admitted he made a mistake in the sprint, reflecting that in a drawn out sprint at a summit rather than a conventional mass dash for the line, it&#8217;s normally the rider that opens up the moves that gets to finish first. But as he also pointed out, Mas had been superior to him all the way up the last part of the ascent so the result reflected the reality of the racing.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">&#8220;<em>Chapeau <\/em>to him, he was obviously stronger, he was pulling in the last couple of ks and I just had to sit on his wheel. So of course I&#8217;d like to have won, but I think the stronger man won,&#8221; he concluded.<\/p>\n<p aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\">The Briton reached the rest day in fourth overall, all the same, 2:20 down on Mas and with his GC options very much intact and the best young rider jersey on his shoulders. Given his position, climbing form and the four major summit finishes still to come in the two weeks remaining, after Sunday&#8217;s <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tag\/performance\/\" data-auto-tag-linker=\"true\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tag\/performance\/\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/tag\/performance\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">performance<\/a>, there&#8217;s every reason for him to feel optimistic.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-a89bf22c-a50e-11f1-b034-41cc1678499d\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"kiosq-b\"><strong>For unbeatable coverage across road, gravel and tech, subscribe to Cyclingnews. You&#8217;ll get comprehensive race coverage of La Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a, subscriber-exclusive analysis from our expert columnists, in-depth features and industry-leading tech insight. Plus, the Cyclingnews app lets you follow the action wherever you go! <\/strong><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=LV26\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=LV26\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-article-category=\"pro-cycling\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/subscription-paid\/?utm_source=Referral+link&amp;utm_medium=Website&amp;utm_campaign=LV26\" rel=\"noopener\"><u><strong>Join today.<\/strong><\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cyclingnews.com\/pro-cycling\/racing\/the-first-day-i-felt-back-to-normal-oscar-onley-defeated-in-stage-9-sprint-at-vuelta-a-espana-but-remains-in-gc-battle-as-illness-fades\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Oscar Onley might not have been able to outduel Enric Mas in their summit finish battle on Sunday in the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a but the Netcompany Ineos rider had reasons to celebrate all the same. Afflicted by illness earlier in the race, Onley&#8217;s fast-improving condition saw the Scottish racer follow Mas closely to the line [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":260427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6804],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-260426","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cycling"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260426","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}