Jumbo-Visma DS: 'There are some big talents coming out of Britain'

Young Brit Finlay Pickering spotted training with Dutch squad

- Tom Davidson

This season, for the first time in over 30 years, Jumbo-Visma will ride with a British rider on their men’s roster. The Dutch team, which topped the UCI’s 2022 rankings, welcomed 21-year old Thomas Gloag as a trainee last year, elevating him to their WorldTour squad for 2023.

Then earlier this month, the team invited 19-year-old Finlay Pickering, formerly of Groupama-FDJ’s Continental squad, to their winter training camp in Alicante, Spain.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Grischa Niermann, Jumbo-Visma sports director, praised the wealth of British riders breaking into the men’s peloton.

“I think right now there are a lot of young riders coming out of Britain who are really big talents,” said Niermann.

Asked if Jumbo-Visma are consciously monitoring British riders, Niermann replied “no”.

“[We look at] talents that we think suit our programme,” he added. “It’s probably not likely that that is a Colombian rider, for example, but Northern Europeans, Scandinavians, British riders.

“We didn’t sign Thomas and we didn’t invite Finlay because they are British, but because they’re big talents.”