Oscar Onley (Ineos Grenadiers) has said it is "naive" to believe professional cycling is completely clean, pointing to inconsistencies in global testing standards as grounds for scepticism despite acknowledging the sport has made significant progress.
The 23-year-old, who finished fourth at the 2025 Tour de France, made the comments during an appearance on BBC Radio Scotland's The Saturday Show on Saturday.
"I think it's quite naive to think it's clean throughout the whole world," Onley said. He clarified that he has confidence in the rigorous testing applied to himself and his immediate peers in Europe but expressed doubt that the same scrutiny exists universally.
"It's very hard to cheat nowadays," Onley added. "You have just got to focus on yourself."
The comments echo those made days earlier by Ben Healy (EF Education-EasyPost), who said it is "impossible" to claim cycling is 100% clean following his own top-10 Tour finish. Healy cited the October 2025 provisional suspension of Oier Lazkano as evidence that the system catches infractions but cannot guarantee total purity.
Onley currently rides for Ineos Grenadiers. Ineos Grenadiers, formerly Team Sky, spent years defending their "marginal gains" philosophy against persistent questions about performance credibility. The team faced their most recent controversy when team carer David Rozman was forced to leave the Tour de France on account of being named in an investigation by anti-doping authorities. Rozman remains with the team and has not been charged with any anti-doping rule violations.
The interview has drawn attention to geographic disparities in testing standards. Onley's focus on "the whole world" comes amid ongoing debate about whether World Anti-Doping Agency protocols are enforced as rigorously in all regions, particularly during off-season training.
Cover image credit: Zac Williams/SWpix.com
