British elite club Raptor Factory Racing have announced their aim to step up a tier to UCI Continental level in 2026, in a bid to gain higher-level racing opportunities and help rebuild the domestic scene.
This season marked the first since 2004 that there were no British men’s Continental teams, following the collapses of Trinity Racing and Saint Piran.
Founded at the start of the year, and supported by London-based brand Raptor Bikes, Raptor have been among the key animators of the UK’s National Road Series, winning a round in last month’s Beaumont Trophy.
Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Tony Poole, Raptor co-founder and team boss alongside David Streule, said the interest has been “very positive.”
“I actually checked 15 minutes ago. We’re now above 50 riders who are looking for spots on the team,” Poole said. “We’re talking top performers across the national scene, plus existing Conti riders in Europe at that level, from all sorts of countries; we’ve had interest from South Africa, Belgium, Spain, New Zealand…”
For Poole, the volume of riders getting in touch is testament to the size of the gap in the UK scene. Currently there is only one British UCI-registered men’s team: Ineos Grenadiers. France, by comparison, has three UCI WorldTour teams, two ProTeams, and 12 Continental teams.
“There just isn’t a ride for all these people,” Poole said. “The talent is there, and there is a lot of British talent, and we want to award them the platform to be able to develop and move up the ranks. That’s one of the key core ethos of what we’re trying to build.”
According to fellow boss Streule, formerly of London Dynamo, Raptor’s plan to reach Continental status was hatched at the team’s founding. “It was always a long-term goal, but we had to take the steps,” he said.
“We’ve gone from basically nothing to winning a National A road race. We’ve finished top three at a UCI race, the CiCLE Classic, but we’ve also had multiple top fives and top 10s abroad in UCI races. If you look at the British continental rankings for all the National A and National B road races in the UK, we’re the third best team.”
Streule and Poole are now seeking financial and equipment sponsors to make the step up. Achieving Continental status will give the team access to UCI .1 races abroad, a tier up from the .2 races they can currently enter, as well as the Tour of Britain, the promise of which they hope will attract potential partners.
“We believe there should be UK Conti teams, we should be giving riders opportunities, and the UK market should be big enough to support these teams commercially,” said Streule, “in terms of the exposure we can give to brands to support us on our journey.”
Asked what Raptor’s target budget is, Streule refused to share numbers. Other British riders who have tried to set up men’s Continental teams in the past, however, have estimated the running cost to be around £300,000 as season.
Raptor have set a mid-October deadline for rider applications to join their ambitious project. The team will also need to file a Continental licence request to British Cycling, who will assess the sustainability of the project, and its level of backing.
“We’re still very much open and looking for partners,” said Poole, adding that the demises of Britain’s previous men’s Continental teams is serving as a “cautionary tale” for Raptor’s plan.
“It’s not really that it’s daunting, it’s just that we have to navigate it carefully because of what’s happened in the past,” Poole said. “I think it’s more a matter of learning from other people’s mistakes, and ensuring you don’t repeat them. At the same time, someone has to fill the gap.”
Racers with at least a Cat-2 licence can apply to join Raptor Factor Racing until 10 October via the form on the team’s website. Potential sponsors can get in touch with the team by email at info@prometheansports.com.
