He started cycling at the age of ten and joined his local club, the Kelso Wheelers.[5] However, his preferred sport as a child was cross-country running.[6] He began to take cycling more seriously after turning 18 and joining the junior ranks; Onley has stated that he simply preferred the training for cycling compared to running.[7]
Career
In 2019, Onley started a two-year stint with the Van Rysel-AG2R La Mondiale development team, though his 2020 season was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.[7] He then signed with Development Team DSM for the start of 2021.[8] Though he did not achieve any significant results in his initial season with the squad, his 2022 season was very strong. This included a stand-out performance at the CRO Race, where he closely competed with that year's Tour de France winner, Jonas Vingegaard, on a number of stages. He ultimately finished third overall in the General Classification and won the Young Rider Classification.[9] Onley was supported by the Rayner Foundation in 2021 and 2022, during his time with Development Team DSM.[10]
After spending two seasons with the development squad, he joined UCI WorldTeamTeam Picnic PostNL in 2023, having signed a five-year contract with the team in late 2022.[11] In 2023, he competed in his first Grand Tour, the Vuelta a España, where he was part of the winning team on the Stage One team time trial.[12] Onley abandoned the race during the following stage after sustaining a broken collarbone in a crash in wet conditions.[13]
The following January, Onley took his first individual professional win in an uphill finish on Stage Five of the 2024 Tour Down Under, ultimately finishing fourth overall.[14]
Onley competed in the 2024 Tour de France, his second Grand Tour.[4] On Stage 17, he was involved in the day's breakaway and finished fifth on the stage.[15] He also managed to be in the breakaway on the following stage, and was part of the nine-man group that first reached the foot of the Col de la Bonette, but was unable to stay with the leading riders during the ascent.[16] Onley finished 39th overall in the General Classification and 10th in the Young Rider Classification.[17]
In September he raced in the Tour of Britain, the first stage of which started and finished in his hometown, Kelso.[18] He finished the Tour second overall and won the Youth Classification, which he had been leading since Stage Two.[19][20]
