Meet the latest British rider to join a WorldTour team
Oli Stockwell is one of 11 promising British talents who will turn pro in 2025
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You’ll need more than two hands to count the number of British riders turning pro next season.
On the women’s side, there’sCat Ferguson and Carys Lloyd, who have both joined Movistar, as well asImogen Wolff, a new recruit forVisma-Lease a Bike. In the men’s ranks, eight young talents have signed their first pro contracts, six of whom with WorldTour teams.
“I’ve been living in Udine, which is in the Friuli region [of Italy],” Stockwell toldCycling Weekly. “It’s pretty quiet in the team house, but it’s good for riding, and the weather’s nice, so you can’t complain too much, really.”
You'd be forgiven for not having heard Stockwell's name before. Since the start of 2022, he has been part of Cycling Team Friuli (CTF), Bahrain Victorious's development arm, racing mostly in Italy.
During that time, he has been supported by theRayner Foundation, a charity that helps fund young British riders racing abroad. He’s now one of four fund recipients joining the men’s WorldTour in 2025, alongsideBob Donaldson (Jayco AlUla), Bjoern Koerdt (dsm-firmenich PostNL) and Matthew Brennan (Visma-Lease a Bike).
“Rayner have been pretty amazing really, I think for all the guys,” Stockwell said. “The advice they give you, you can’t beat it. Also, the cost side, they give a little bit, which for a lot of guys makes the difference. I know for me, when I first got to CTF, that probably made the difference. It meant that I was able to do it.”
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Born in Welwyn Garden City, 20 miles north of London, the Brit’s introduction to cycling came when he noticed riders training at the outdoor asphalt velodrome near his home. He began competing himself when he was 10, taking part in local cyclocross events. “It was the first racing that I did,” he said, and ever since, “I’ve always done road and cross”.
Already in his young career, Stockwell has competed in key calendar events, like the World Championships, the Tour de l'Avenir and theTour of Britain. His pro step-up was originally scheduled for the start of this season, but at the end of 2022, an innocuous leg break during a training camp put a halt to his plans.
“It was a really small crash, just on the flat, really easy riding, and I broke my femur,” he said. The injury left him sidelined for months, and he didn’t return to racing until August 2023.
“[The team] were really good with me, and we kind of decided that it would be better to step back for a minute, to use a bit more time as an under-23 to develop and recover from the injury, and then step up later, which is now,” he said. “I feel like I’ve learned so much in the last three or four years [in the under-23 ranks].”
As he now heads onto the WorldTour, what sort of riding can we expect from Stockwell? “I’d say I’m a climber, but maybe not an out-and-out climber. I feel like the team really want me to be a climber, but I don’t know if I’m fully a climber,” he said. “I feel like I’m still fairly young, so I still need to find out exactly what my strengths are.”
Stockwell’s plan in his first year is to continue developing. “There’s a lot to learn,” he makes clear. It’s the same attitude, no doubt, as the 10 other Brits who are turning pro, some as young as 18, and all looking forward to long careers in cycling.
“I think it will be a big step, but hopefully I’m ready,” Stockwell said. Now, as he prepares for a team camp next month, his last of the season, the overwhelming feeling is excitement. “I’ve used my under-23 years well, I hope,” he said.
“I’ve been waiting a while, so I think I’m ready. I guess I’ll see.”
The Rayner Foundation will be celebrating its riders' successes this season at a charity dinner in Leeds on 23 November. Tickets are on sale until 9pm this Friday, available to buythrough the foundation's website.
Tom joinedCycling Weeklyas a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is fluent in French and Spanish, and holds a master's degree in International Journalism. Since 2020, he has been the host ofThe TT Podcast, offering race analysis and rider interviews.
An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill, and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides. His best result is 28th in a hill-climb competition, albeit out of 40 entrants.
