Just eight days after feeling the euphoria of taking his first professional and WorldTour level win at the Tour Down Under, Oscar Onley was in hospital with a broken collarbone following a crash at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
Onley was crowned the king of Willinga Hill on stage 6 of the Tour Down Under after conquering the famous climb ahead of Stephen Williams (Israel-Premier Tech), but he would last little more than 70km into the 176km one-day race in Geelong with his collarbone fractured and race ended.
“After further medical checks at the local hospital we can confirm that Oscar Onley unfortunately has broken his collarbone in the crash at the Cadel Evans Road Race,” said Team dsm-firmenich PostNL via social media.
“Oscar will now take the time needed to recover before looking at a return to training or racing. Heal up, Oscar!”
This is the second collarbone fracture for Onley in seven months after a similar injury forced him to abandon the Vuelta a España on debut after just one stage of racing.
The Scot actually confirmed it was his third break to his collarbone on Instagram, highlighting the age-old reality of professional cycling in that it can often go from glory to misery in no time.
“Life’s a game of snakes and ladders,” said Onley. “Finishing a cool month in Australia with my third broken collarbone.”
Onley will still be spurred on from a successful opening month to 2024 with a maiden WorldTour victory and fourth overall at the Tour Down Under. Team dsm-firmenich's top finisher at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race behind eventual winner Laurence Pithie (Groupama-FDJ) was Chris Hamilton, in seventh.
Aranburu suffers injury in Mallorca
Spanish rider Alex Aranburu also suffered a broken collarbone, his in Spain at Challenge Mallorca's Trofeo Pollença-Port d'Andratx in an innocuous allowing of the pace 33km from the line.
His team had been leading the chase behind Igor Arrieta (UAE Team Emirates) but when the Spanish team knocked off their effort momentarily and things slowed in a large peloton, Aranburu was left reeling in pain on the floor and clutching his right shoulder.
Movistar confirmed his injury after the finish but did provide a positive update after the race.
“After undergoing a CT scan at a hospital in Mallorca after his fall in the fourth trophy of the Challenge Mallorca, Aranburu suffered a non-displaced fracture of the middle third of his right clavicle,” said Movistar on social media.
They were granted a bittersweet reprieve after losing their versatile all-rounder as new singing Pelayo Sánchez took his first win for Movistar into Andratx.
