Cat Ferguson inks World Tour deal

17-year-old Brit takes fast track to the top tier

- Tom Davidson, Adam Becket

British 17-year-old Cat Ferguson is set to become one of the youngest riders ever to compete in cycling's B highest tier.

The teenager has signed her first professional contract and will join women's World Tour squad Movistar from August 2024. Ferguson said the move was "a dream come true".

"From our first meeting it felt like such a welcoming and family environment, with a great focus on developing my attributes at World Tour level," she added.

The Brit, a first-year junior, will finish her junior road and cross seasons but will also ride as a stagiaire for Movistar and attend training camps with the World Tour team. The last British rider to do this was Zoe Bäckstedt, who joined EF EducationTIBCO-SVB in August 2022, competing for the American WorldTour squad as a 17-year-old that month.

Ferguson will turn 18 in April, three months before her contract begins.

Currently, Ferguson rides for the Yorkshire-based team Shibden Hope Tech Apex, and has shone in her first year as a junior.