Raft Of British Riders Still Hunting For Contracts

Ex-Sky rider Jon Dibben and former Dimension Data rider Scott Thwaites yet to finalise deals

A perfect storm of folding teams and contracting WorldTour squads has led to a number of quality British riders, including Jon Dibben and Scott Thwaites, still searching for contracts in January.

Dibben, who rode for Sky last year, is understood to be considering a return to track racing — hewas points race world champion in 2016 and has ridden six-day events over the winter — alongside several road options.

Yorkshireman Scott Thwaites, who spent the last two seasons at Dimension Data, told the Yorkshire Post last year he was considering retiring from racing to pursue other opportunities but is now understood to be focused on landing a ride for 2019.

The other former WorldTour rider without a ride, James Shaw, who rode for Lotto-Soudal, is also still searching.

Mark Christian, formerly of Aqua Blue Sport, and Gabriel Cullaigh, an ex-Wiggins rider who has been touted as a highly promising talent but is now over 23 and inelligble to ride for the squad, are both understood to be close to landing a ride.