British Cycling can today confirm the riders who will train on the Great Britain Cycling Team Senior and Junior Academy programmes for the forthcoming season, including 12 new riders across all disciplines.
The Senior Academy programme brings the riders a step closer to achieving their Olympic dreams and signifies their place as the top young riders in the country as they continue to make their names on the world stage. The likes of five-time Olympic champion Laura Kenny, Fred Wright and Paralympic champion pilot Helen Scott have all been part of the Senior Academy in the early stages of their careers.
On the track, Lowri Thomas is a new addition to the women’s sprint squad after an incredibly successful year, securing a Commonwealth Games bronze, a UCI Track Nations Cup bronze, and a national title in the team sprint. In the track endurance squad, Grace Lister will step up to the senior ranks after winning a junior track world title in the Madison earlier this year, to be joined by Scottish Criterium Champion Kate Richardson.
Noah Hobbs and Dylan Hicks will also make the transition from the junior to senior track endurance squad, joining the likes of Josh Giddings and Josh Charlton, who represented Great Britain at this year’s Tour of Britain.
Emily Hutt, who delivered an impressive third-place finish at her first UCI BMX Racing World Cup Under-23 race in September this year, has been selected as a full-time GBCT academy rider.
Dylan Hessey and Ash Finlay are the first members of a newly-created BMX Freestyle Park Senior Academy squad, having secured top four finishes at the BMX Freestyle National Championships in October and podium finishes across the National Series.
Under-23 national silver medallist Elena McGorum officially joins Great Britain Cycling Team after a brilliant season representing Great Britain in a number of mountain bike world cup rounds, while Ella Maclean-Howell, who finished fifth in this year’s junior mountain bike world championships, moves up to senior academy.
The new cohort of Senior Academy riders have enjoyed two weeks of inductions, providing them with the opportunity to get to know their coaches, teammates and performance support teams as they prepare to commence full training. The induction covers everything from anti-doping education with UKAD, support from UK Sport, performance data gathering and kit check-ins. They also spent time with in-house experts on nutrition, mental health support and were given the opportunity to ask questions of current podium riders.
Great Britain Cycling Team Performance Director, Stephen Park CBE, said: “It is always exciting for the Great Britain Cycling Team to welcome new riders onto the Senior Academy programme who have either graduated from the Junior Academy or who are completely new to the programme, and about to embark on a career as a full-time athlete.
“With the first ever UCI Cycling World Championships for all disciplines taking place in Glasgow next year, and the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, it’s a key time for these riders and we look forward to supporting their ambitions of Olympic success.”
Great Britain Cycling Team Head of Pathways, Tom Stanton, said: “The aim of the Great Britain Cycling Team is to support riders who have the ambition and the potential to perform at the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and we are really pleased to welcome riders to the Senior Academy squad who have performed excellently this season across all disciplines.
“At Senior and Junior Academy level, we want to ensure that we are supporting these riders to perform to the best of their ability, both on and off the track. This means not only supporting the riders to deliver world-class cycling performances, but also giving them opportunities to pursue their other passions, whether that be through formal education or other avenues within the sport and wider communities.
The Junior Academy welcomes a cohort of 24 brand new riders, bringing the total number of riders supported through the programme to 37, highlighting the strength and depth of junior talent across the disciplines, which has been further strengthened by the addition of BMX Freestyle Park and BMX Racing programmes.
Great Britain Cycling Team Senior Academy Programme Riders for 2022/23 Season:
Men’s Track Sprint
James Bunting
Hayden Norris
Marcus Hiley
Harry Ledingham-Horn
Ed Lowe
Women’s Track Sprint
Rhian Edmunds
Iona Moir
Emma Finucane
Lauren Bell
Rhianna Parris-Smith
Lowri Thomas
Men’s Track Endurance
Josh Giddings
Josh Charlton
Jack Brough
Ross Birrell
Noah Hobbs
Dylan Hicks
Women’s Track Endurance
Flora Perkins
Maddie Leech
Sophie Lewis
Kate Richardson
Ella Barnwell
Eluned King
Grace Lister
Men’s BMX Freestyle Park
Ash Finlay
Dylan Hessey
Women’s BMX Racing
Emily Hutt
Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-country
Charlie Aldridge
Corran Carrick Anderson
Joseph Blackmore
Rory McGuire
Women’s Mountain Bike Cross-country
Anna Flynn
Elena McGorum
Ella Maclean-Howell
Great Britain Cycling Team Junior Academy Programme Riders for 2022/23 Season:
Men’s Track Sprint
Harry Radford
Oliver Pettifer
Women’s Track Sprint
Anna Whitworth-Hay
Sarah Johnson
Georgette Rand
Men’s Track Endurance
Ben Wiggins
Jed Smithson
Calum Moir
Matthew Brennan
Harry Codd
Women’s Track Endurance
Awen Roberts
Isabel Sharp
Holly Ramsey
Ella Jamieson
Cat Ferguson
Carys Lloyd
Imogen Wolffe
Esther Wong
Men’s BMX Freestyle Park
Reef Way
Miller Temple
Women’s BMX Freestyle Park
Sasha Pardoe
Holly Pipe
Morrigan Chudley
Men’s Mountain Bike Cross-country
Max Greensill
Women’s Mountain Bike Cross-country
Emily Carrick-Anderson
Libby Bell
Daisy Taylor
Men’s BMX Racing
Alex Talbott
Jay Bovill
Ben Cornish
Harrison Collis
Mark Fletcher
Taylor Hunt
Casey Markley
Women’s BMX Racing
Ava Brown
Betsy Bax
Freia Challis
