Tuesday July 29th 2025
Oscar Onley and his team
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly
The deputy leader of Scottish Borders Council believes the success of a Kelso cyclist in the Tour de France will inspire a new generation to get in the saddle.
Councillor Scott Hamilton has hailed Oscar Onley after he finished fourth following three weeks of gruelling stages.
Oscar, of the Dutch-team Picnic PostNL, finished within the first seven riders on eight of the 21 stages. This included a third placed finish on stage seven, just behind the two standout performers of this year’s race, multiple Tour de France winners Tadej Pogacar and Jonas Vingegaard.
Councillor Hamilton said: “Just like many Borderers, and cycling fans around the world, I have been gripped by the Tour de France and the intense battle between Oscar and Florian Lipowitz for third place overall and the best young rider jersey.
“Oscar has competed day-in, day-out against a golden generation of world class talent and held his own. In just his second Tour de France, Oscar has proven himself on the biggest cycling event to be amongst the very best riders in the world, and at just 22-years-old has an incredibly bright future ahead.
“The Tour de France starts in Edinburgh in 2027, so this is an amazing time for Scottish cycling, and Oscar coming to the fore will undoubtedly inspire many young people to take up cycling.
“With a number of cycling clubs around the Borders, including Kelso Wheelers where Oscar started his journey, and the support of our Sports Development team, there are lots of opportunities to get into cycling in the Scottish Borders.”
In his youth, Oscar attended two Sports Academy events, delivered through Sports Development, receiving top performance coaching, support and tips, as well as receiving grants in 2019 and 2020 ahead of European racing trips.
In recent years, Oscar has been able to enjoy racing on home roads in the Tour of Britain, thanks to the investment of SBC, competing in the 2022 edition which included a stage from Hawick to Duns, and also in 2024, when the second stage started and finished in his home town. Oscar finished second overall in the 2024 Tour of Britain.
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