Pain in Spain for Kelso cyclist Oscar Onley after breaking collarbone in crash

​The 20-year-old was ruled out of the rest of the Vuelta a Espana – on until Sunday, September 17 – after coming off his bike at a corner on the race’s second day.

That mishap followed the Borderer helping Dutch outfit Team DSM-Firmenich win the opening team time-trial on Saturday in Barcelona.

He was taken to hospital after that crash and confirmed to have broken his right clavicle, an injury with a typical healing time of six weeks to three months.

Onley said on Sunday: “I’m really disappointed to leave the race and leave the boys.

“After yesterday, we were all on such a high. Obviously today is a little disappointing, but I’m looking forward to watching the boys over the next couple of weeks.

“With the spirit and the legs they’ve shown so far, I think they can get some really nice results.

“Hopefully I can be back soon and also competing for some results as soon as possible.”

Team coach Phil West is hoping to see Onley back in action soon, saying: “Unfortunately we lost Oscar, which is a real shame.

“He came out unlucky in a crash that could have ordinarily been quite innocuous.

“He was in really good shape and was strong in our team time-trial.

“It was also obvious in the stage today that he was in good shape and could have been a factor in the final, which was also the plan.

“He’ll be sorely missed and the guys are disappointed he’s out, but these guys bounce back pretty well and Oscar’s motivated for what’s next. He just has to shake this off and move forwards.

“We’ll do our best with the rest of the guys here, who are in good shape, and we have 19 more stages to show ourselves.”

Team doctor Camiel Aldershof added: “Oscar suffered a tough fall and checks at hospital confirmed what we unfortunately suspected, a broken right collarbone alongside some minor abrasions.

“He will now head home, taking time to rest and recover, and we will continue to assess how that recovery is going before we make any future plans for his return to the bike.”

The Vuelta a Espana’s 21 stages go from Barcelona to Madrid, taking in Valladolid and Santander en route, covering 1,960 miles.