BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT... ...BUT NO TEAMS TO NURTURE IT

Brits are still breaking through, but can the trend continue now we're bereft of UCI teams at home, asks Tom Thewlis

- Tom Thewlis

It may be six years since a British rider won the Tour de France, but 2024 showed that the future is bright and the kids are alright. A crop of seriously talented youngsters continued to make an impression on the pro scene, and younger development riders earned themselves pro contracts. Twenty-one-yearold Joe Blackmore was the pick of the bunch, becoming the first Brit to win the Tour de l'Avenir, the most illustrious under-23 race in the world. Elsewhere, Oscar Onley, who came through the DSM (now Team Picnic PostNL) development team, impressed by winning a stage of the Tour Down Under and finishing second on GC at the Tour of Britain.

Some fans are daring to dream that Britain may finally have found its next yellow jersey winner. But behind the likes of Blackmore and Onley, can the floundering British scene continue to create champions two or three generations down the line? Underneath the recent U23 successes lies the fact that last year ended with the male domestic cycling scene in tatters. For the first time since 2004, there is not a single men's UCI team in operation. As the UK women's scene shows encouraging signs, with five British UCI-registered teams, the demise of Saint Piran and Trinity Racing raises questions about the options for young male riders who aren't on British Cycling's track-based talent pathway and want to progress on the domestic scene. This stepping stone to pro racing has been removed.