THE PATH TO THE WORLD TOUR

What does a rider need to reach cycling's highest tier of racing?

- Tom Davidson

"The key is finding them before they appear on Pro Cycling Stats," says Jamie Barlow, agent to some of cycling's biggest stars.

Barlow's work is diligent. He spends hours talent scouting riders, signs up the best ones, and helps elevate their careers to the highest level, joining WorldTour teams and standing on World Championship podiums. On the books of his boutique agency, 258 Protégé, are the likes of Ineos Grenadiers's Ethan Hayter, SD Worx's Niamh Fisher Black, and his latest success story, Josh Tarling.

A first-year pro with Ineos Grenadiers, Tarling is part of the latest crop of riders to step up to the World Tour. "What Josh has already done this season so far is exceptional," Barlow says of the 19-year-old, who became British time trial champion and a Worlds bronze medallist this summer.

Still, it takes savviness to unearth talent. Agents and teams spend days on end raking through results and crunching numbers, hoping to find the next household name. "The key is finding the really special ones before those breakout results," Barlow says, "which is not always easy to do."

FEEL THE POWER

In recent years, there has been a shift in what World Tour teams look for when they hunt for new riders. "In the past, it would have been purely race results," Barlow says. "But there has been a drastic change in the past four or five years. Now, I would say teams look at data more than ever before. That's what gets the attention of performance staff in the top teams."

It was Tarling's power numbers that put him on the World Tour radar. The teenager's Pro Cycling Stats profile dates only to 2021, but on the years prior he was picking up victories in the British TT circuit.