Ineos Grenadiers have launched a development team for 2026, the Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, they announced on Friday.
12 riders, five of whom are British, will form part of the first cohort: Hugo Boucher, Josh Charlton, Mattie Dodd, Davide Frigo, Max Hinds, Milkias Maekele, Fletcher Medway, Nicolas Milesi, Dylan Sage, Max Standen, Cameron Rogers and Theodor Storm.
The team will ride at UCI Continental level, replacing the link with Germany’s Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank – who were officially brought on board November 2024. The new Racing Academy will wear black shorts, rather than the controversial new ‘light grey’ donned by the WorldTour outfit.
There are five other nationalities: Italians Frigo, 18, younger brother of NSN Cycling rider Marco, and Milesi, who moves from Arkéa-B&B Hôtels, having finished third overall at the Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine this year.
Maekele, 20, from Eritrea, trained at the UCI African Cycling Centre in South Africa, and previously rode for Bike Aid, while Frenchman Boucher joins from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale’s junior team, having finished in the top-10 at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Juniors.
“For me, the priority is helping young riders learn what it means to be a professional. Some are living away from home for the first time, some have moved across the world, so there’s a lot for them to take on. It’s about race-craft, understanding their bodies and managing their emotions, and not just hitting numbers. It’s the full package.
“We have signed some exciting guys to the Racing Academy, and seeing all of them together for the first time, felt like I was stepping back 20 years. I could picture myself sitting where they are now, with the whole journey ahead of them. They’re young, keen and it’s brilliant to have them integrated with the WorldTour team.”
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