Young Brits Take The WorldTour By Storm

The 2020 peloton will include more British riders than ever before

- Vern Pitt

Next year could well be the start of a second wave of a British takeover of the WorldTour ranks.

In 2020 more than half the WorldTour teams will include British riders, following a raft of signings over recent weeks — all by teams that do not currently have any Brits on their roster. There may be more yet as other young Brits have stagiaire contracts coming up, which could develop into full-time rides.

The most recent Brit to land a ride was Mark Donovan (Wiggins-LeCol), who has signed for Sunweb for the next three years — a year longer than the UCI’s minimum neo-pro contract, a display of confidence in the Cumbrian climber.

“I’ve been talking to them for a while, even since last year,” said Donovan. “I went on a training camp with them in January and that was when I really got to know them — they obviously liked what I did on the training camp.”

“This time last year I was stagiering for Sky. I was with them for most of the Italian one-day races. It was definitely a learning experience,” he recalls.

He would later go on to train with Deceuninck-Quick Step later in the year but eventually decided to join Sunweb.

“First off, it was a three-year contract; I thought that I’m quite young and it just gives that extra year with a bit more security. It takes the pressure offa little bit and allows you to develop a bit more without the pressure to get [the next] contract. I know a few of the younger lads on the team and they spoke highly about how the team treats the younger guys.”

Donovan, who was 11th at the Tour de l’Avenir in 2018 and just off the podium at the Baby Giro, broke his wrist in a crash at the latter in June and suffered a haematoma in his left leg that resulted in muscle wastage. He said Sunweb’s continued interest in him was a factor in his decision to sign.