THE NEXT GENERATION

A new crop of young British stars is poised to burst upon the world stage; Chris Marshall-Bell profiles its leading lights

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Stuart Blunt has been coaching Britain’s next generation of cyclists for almost 20 years.

He has seen the likes of Mark Cavendish, Geraint Thomas, Owain Doull and latterly Tom Pidcock become some of the best riders in the world.

So when he offers his assessment on the group of riders currently aiming to emulate those who have made the country a cycling powerhouse this century, it’s wise to listen. And his words are exciting.

“I’ve been with BC for 18 years and this is the best group of juniors we have ever had,” he tells CW.

“We have had good individuals since Cav and Geraint but never a group like this. It’s a real golden era.”

Charlie Quarterman, Fred Wright, Ethan Hayter, Elynor Bäckstedt and Anna Henderson have all stepped up to WorldTour teams this season, while Jake Stewart and Lewis Askey are racing for FDJ-Groupama’s development team, Matt Walls for the British Cycling Academy, and Simon Carr for Nippo-Delko One Provence.

Blunt continues: “We are in a four-to-five year cycle of a real golden group of athletes. Cav winning the 2011 Worlds road race with riders who he was on the [British Cycling] Academy with was a great story, but this current group will beat that. They’ll be the next world champions. “When we take them to Junior Nations Cup races we have agents and team managers hanging around wanting to collar the lads. Young British cyclists have got a reputation and everyone wants them.

“We have a group of kids who all believe that they can do it because they are so talented.”

Those riders have a number of appealing avenues to obtain their goals, whether by continuing with the national governing body, signing for a UCI team home or abroad, or trying their own luck with an amateur team in mainland Europe.