Wheelbase CabTech Castelli: the original elite development team
Jack Beavis speaks to team manager Stuart Reid to discover more about the Cumbrian outfit and its rich history of developing young riders for the UCI ranks.
Stalwarts of the domestic peloton, the Wheelbase CabTech Castelli team have been a revelation in 2023, enjoying their most successful season after almost two decades at the elite end of domestic cycling. Jack Beavis spoke to team manager Stuart Reid to discover more about the Cumbrian outfit and its rich history of developing young riders for the UCI ranks.
It’s been our best season to date by far in terms of results
“It’s been our best season to date by far in terms of results,” states Wheelbase CabTech Castelli team manager Stuart Reid, proudly. “Even away from the last couple of months we’ve had a great season. There’s been National B wins, Tom Martin has returned to us after a couple of years racing in Spain and he won a stage race out there in April, winning on a summit finish. It’s been a great year from the get-go really, which is a testament to the group of lads on the team this year.”
The past months Reid refers to have been nothing short of remarkable. Kicked off by 23-year-old Tim Shoreman’s bronze medal in the National Circuit Race Championships in Redcar in June, it was followed up with brilliant performances all round in the National Circuit Series, where the team collected the team classification prize, as well as both Shoreman and 20-year-old Australian Matt Fox winning individual rounds, the latter claiming second overall.
Men’s National Circuit Series – 2023 Ilkley Cycle Races – Lister Horsfall Men’s Grand Prix – Ilkley, England – Matthew Fox of Wheelbase CabTech Castelli wins with Edward Morgan of Wales Racing Academy in second and George Kimber of Embark Spirit BSS in third. Image:
“That win in Ilkley…” Reid begins, savouring the thought of sharing the story of Fox’s win, one of the biggest in the team’s history, before pausing to describe exactly why it means so much. “Wheelbase has a store in Ilkley and we sponsored some of the support races that evening. A lot of the staff from the Ilkley shop were there and Matt’s essentially a Yorkshire lad, that was a huge moment.”
It is an entirely different win that gives Reid the most satisfaction however, Fox again playing a starring role.
We went to the Rás, which we’ve never done before, and won two stages, the points jersey and the team classification
“The team classification in the Rás Tailteann was a big one for me, just the way the team came together and worked for each other, I was over the moon with that result, personally.
“We went to the Rás, which we’ve never done before, and won two stages, the points jersey and the team classification. We were only 8 seconds off the podium individually on GC too. We had a fantastic race there and carried that momentum into the National Championships and the National Circuit Series.”
Australian Fox was the team’s standout rider on the Emerald Isle, winning two stages and the points jersey, with climber Tom Martin coming home in 5th place overall for the ‘men in green’.
The squad has impressed with its ability to work as a team this season, most recently seen in the National Circuit Series, where they rallied behind Fox in a titanic battle against Ben Chilton on the streets of Newark. Although they couldn’t quite pull off the overall win, the performances over the series bring out a sense of pride in Reid.
All I ask of the riders is that when they say they’re going to do a race, commit to it and to turn up in a condition where they can give their all
“All I ask of the riders is that when they say they’re going to do a race, commit to it and to turn up in a condition where they can give their all, whether that is to win the race or support a teammate. The only other thing is for the National Road Series races that they come and are committed to it and every single one of our lads has been fantastic in that department.”
2023 Men’s National Circuit Series – Fort Vale Colne Grand Prix, Colne, England – Tim Shoreman of Wheelbase CabTech Castelli wins. Image: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com
Confidence is clearly high within the Cumbrian team, with Reid seeing the success 2023 has brought them as the rewards for a long-term project started by Toby Dalton, the team owner and director of Wheelbase. There are few men more qualified to talk about the domestic cycling scene than Reid, who has spent a quarter of a century in the Wheelbase setup in a variety of roles including employee, rider, DS and team manager. “I rode the Otley GP 20 years ago, I’ve been in and around the sport, and the team, for a long time,” he says, having transitioned slowly from rider to team manager, a role he has thrown himself at for the past three years, having given up racing due to a back injury.
“We’ve had a pretty successful year, but we’ve been plugging away at this for a long time. We’ve had good individual results over the years, but we’ve not had the collective success of the past few months,” explains Reid, who is more than aware of the sea change in domestic cycling this season, which sees the team come to races among the favourites for the first time.
We’ve benefited from the reduction of UCI Continental teams in the UK, for sure… Ilkley and Guildford were the first times a National Circuit Series podium didn’t have a UCI Continental rider on them, which demonstrates that
“We’ve benefited from the reduction of UCI Continental teams in the UK, for sure. Last year Tim Elverson’s Wiv SunGod team dominated almost every race and although those riders are still around and racing, they’re not a collective anymore, so they don’t have that stranglehold.
“Ilkley and Guildford were the first times a National Circuit Series podium didn’t have a UCI Continental rider on them, which demonstrates that. The racing has become more open and it’s good; instead of one team thinking about who will win, there’s 15 riders thinking they can win, racing like they want to win, instead of defensively and following essentially the best team. It’s still hard, obviously, but it’s not quite as dominated by one or two teams. Saint Piran dominated the Lincoln and Lancaster GPs [Ed: and the Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix, subsequently], but I’m not sure that’s going to be the case in every race. We’ll see!” he laughs, stopping his enthusiasm from taking over and making too many bold predictions.
National Road Series – 2023 Men’s Lancaster Grand Prix – Thomas Armstrong of Wheelbase CabTech Castelli. Image: Olly Hasselt/Swpix.com
The state of domestic cycling is an issue which constantly affects teams and Reid has seen Wheelbase weather many changes, both positive and negative. The squad were involved in the inaugural Tour Series and have mixed it with a host of UCI Continental Teams, claiming an impressive National Road Series podium through Finn Crockett in 2021. Now they are leading the charge against Saint Piran and a number of Elite Development Teams.
“People are always like ‘oh, the British scene is dead’” he laments. “It’s not particularly healthy, but the actual racing is fantastic. The British professional domestic scene is particularly challenged but the actual racing scene from 4th category to Elite is healthy, there’s a lot that want to race, there’s only so many races for them to do.”
It’s tough, I’ve spoken to a number of organisers and it’s getting harder. Even closing a town centre off for the evening is financially challenging and to put on a round of the National Road Series is a bit ridiculous
Reid is keen to not place a huge amount of blame at the door of British Cycling, instead insisting the issue is the huge cost of putting on races. “I don’t think British Cycling could do any more. It’s just the state of the race scene, British Cycling are taking whoever will put a race on. It’s tough, I’ve spoken to a number of organisers and it’s getting harder. Even closing a town centre off for the evening is financially challenging and to put on a round of the National Road Series is a bit ridiculous. That’s the issue with the British scene, really. Every race in my local area is over-subscribed, be it a Premier Calendar [Ed: i.e. National Road Series] or a criterium, there’s just not enough races because it’s becoming so financially expensive to put them on.”
Classed as ‘club’ team, the Wheelbase riders are all amateurs, with Reid and the team setup offering them a helping hand rather than a strong fist in the direction they would like go. “Obviously, every rider has their own individual goals. Myself and Alex Turner, a former Wheelbase rider who’s the CabTech element of the team, sit down with the team at the training camp or early in the season and ask them what those goals are and tell them what we would like them to do. I’m fairly comfortable in letting them do a lot of their own thing really because we’re not a professional team, we’re not paying anyone’s wage so I can’t dictate what they do on a day to day level. However, we do support the riders a lot financially in terms of bikes and travel, equipment and expenses.”
This amateur status would come to cost the team in the National Circuit Series, the logistics of racing nationwide a step too far when riders and staff are balancing their daily lives away from the bike. Speaking partway through the National Circuit Series, Reid was already looking back on the Guildford round with hindsight, where they fielded a sole rider; Matt Fox’s absence potentially costing him the Series overall.
National Circuit Series, Road – The Dudley Grand Prix, Men’s National Circuit Series – Wheelbase CabTech Castelli on the podium leading the overall team classification. Image: Oliver Brookwell/SWpix.com
“I was really torn with Guildford,” says Reid, who like always is infectiously positive about the sport in general, despite the realisation of what could have been now hitting home. “It’s fantastic that we’ve got another round, and there’s a large southern contingent that come and do all the circuit races that are predominantly northern based. I wanted to [go], but I just couldn’t get the time off work. In hindsight, I never dreamed we’d have had those results at Otley and Ilkley. It would have been nice to go down there, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Next year I’ll happily go to Guildford, we used to go and do the London Nocturne and I’m happy to do that. It’s a national series, and the fact it’s geographically spread is a good thing, it shouldn’t all be in the north.”
The Guildford dilemma is one of the finer points of the current domestic scene, with logistics playing a large role in determining the strength of the field, with the only two UCI-registered British teams prioritising racing in Europe. Reid explains that it would have been a ten-hour drive for Aberdeenshire-based Tim Shoreman to take the start in Guildford, and with all his riders in some form of work or education, it leaves his team, like many others, between a rock and a hard place.
A constant theme of our conversation is the word ‘development’. Throughout their existence the team has produced some of the best talent to race at UCI Continental level in Britain, from former national hill climb champion Jack Pullar to CiCLE Classic winner Finn Crockett, via former Team DSM WorldTour rider Mark Donovan, who raced cyclocross in the team’s colours as a junior. The team missed out on Elite Development Team Status due to a clerical error, something Reid is very much nonplussed about.
We are, by definition, an Elite Development Team. You don’t necessarily need a badge to have to do that
“We are, by definition, an Elite Development Team. You don’t necessarily need a badge to have to do that,” Reid declares, pointing to his team’s proud history of producing riders ready for the step up to UCI level. “I appreciate what British Cycling are trying to do and I’m all for supporting that, but we’re all about developing riders to bigger and better things. It’s just a badge.
“The biggest thing is in races like the CiCLE Classic we were only afforded the luxury of having four riders; Elite Development Teams got six. But all of our riders finished and Jacob [Smith] was in the front group until he punctured with 4km to go, while some Elite Development Teams had no finishers.”
2023 National Circuit Series, Road – All About Desserts Newark Mens Grand Prix, Men’s National Circuit Series – Podium: Wheelbase CabTech Castelli wins the overall team classification. Image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
When I ask about what makes Wheelbase CabTech Castelli unique, Reid offers a surprising response. “I wouldn’t say we’re any different to Cycling Sheffield or PB Performance, we’re all very similar.”
We sent Callum Thornley to Trinity last year, Finn Crockett to Ribble Weldtite and we’ve all seen what he’s done, so we are developing riders to move on to better things
The common bond that ties these teams together is their aim to develop, with experienced former riders helping guide the way. “We sent Callum Thornley to Trinity last year, Finn Crockett to Ribble Weldtite and we’ve all seen what he’s done, so we are developing riders to move on to better things,” clocks Reid, affirming the team’s most recent success stories
Callum Thornley is the latest rider the team have moved on, the Peebles based rider joining the team in 2022 before signing for Trinity Racing this season, following an impressive silver medal in the U23 National Time Time Trial Championships last June. He is the latest in a line of impressive recruits from north of the border, including the aforementioned Shoreman, Crockett and Pullar.
“You may have noticed a large Scottish contingent within the team?” asks Reid rhetorically. “That’s partly down to Davie Lines who’s very involved in the Scottish scene and has those connections, but mainly down to Evan Oliphant who heads up the Scottish Programme [Head Coach at Scottish Cycling]. He’ll get in touch with me if there’s someone with potential who maybe hasn’t had the best results.
“Callum was a prime example – he was mainly mountain biking and had very few road results but was being coached by Evan, who suggested we take a bit of a punt on him. He was absolutely fantastic and deserved to move on to Trinity and to bigger and better things.”
The team usually advertises for riders on social media and keeps an open mind to talent from different pathways, forming a habit of selecting riders with good potential. The latest of those is Australian Matt Fox, perhaps the standout rider in the UK this season after his impressive performances in the Ràs and the National Circuit Series.
National Road Series – 2023 Men’s Lancaster Grand Prix – Jacob Smith of Wheelbase CabTech Castelli. Image: Olly Hassall/SWpix.com
Fox was born in Yorkshire, where his father and uncle still reside. After moving to Australia when he was still a toddler, Fox returned to the UK to race with Wheelbase following a family friend enquiring about a space on the team for him to Reid.
I had a long conversation with Matt on the phone and we decided to give it a go; you can see how that’s turned out!
“I had a long conversation with Matt on the phone and we decided to give it a go; you can see how that’s turned out! He came to us last year and had some pretty decent results, top ten in the Newark crit, top ten at Otley, 16th at the Lancaster GP. Solid, but he has definitely stepped up. It’s possibly to do with physical development but also reading the races – I’ve not raced in Australia, but I imagine it’s a little bit different there.”
The team supports a number of riders during the cyclocross season, including Rory McGuire, the Scot racing World Cups for Great Britain and taking victories in the National Trophy over the past few years.
Lewis Craven became World Masters Champion in 2021 after riding for the team for over a decade, Reid directly helping out in the pits, giving up his spare time, year round for the sport. “To see your friend become world champion, that really is something else!” he says, declaring this favourite moment in the history of the team. It is this answer that perhaps reveals why Wheelbase have enjoyed such longevity and success: passion.
Reid believes a deep passion is something that runs through the whole team, starting at the top. “We just have a strong passion for the sport. Toby [Dalton] has a strong passion for the sport. He doesn’t have to have the team, he just loves the sport and has a passion for it to the point he’s happy to put his finance behind it.”
Stalwarts of the domestic peloton, the Wheelbase CabTech Castelli team have been a revelation in 2023, enjoying their most successful season after almost two decades at the elite end of domestic cycling. Jack Beavis spoke to team manager Stuart Reid to discover more about the Cumbrian outfit and its rich history of developing young riders for the UCI ranks.
“It’s been our best season to date by far in terms of results,” states Wheelbase CabTech Castelli team manager Stuart Reid, proudly. “Even away from the last couple of months we’ve had a great season. There’s been National B wins, Tom Martin has returned to us after a couple of years racing in Spain and he won a stage race out there in April, winning on a summit finish. It’s been a great year from the get-go really, which is a testament to the group of lads on the team this year.”
The past months Reid refers to have been nothing short of remarkable. Kicked off by 23-year-old Tim Shoreman’s bronze medal in the National Circuit Race Championships in Redcar in June, it was followed up with brilliant performances all round in the National Circuit Series, where the team collected the team classification prize, as well as both Shoreman and 20-year-old Australian Matt Fox winning individual rounds, the latter claiming second overall.
“That win in Ilkley…” Reid begins, savouring the thought of sharing the story of Fox’s win, one of the biggest in the team’s history, before pausing to describe exactly why it means so much. “Wheelbase has a store in Ilkley and we sponsored some of the support races that evening. A lot of the staff from the Ilkley shop were there and Matt’s essentially a Yorkshire lad, that was a huge moment.”
It is an entirely different win that gives Reid the most satisfaction however, Fox again playing a starring role.
“The team classification in the Rás Tailteann was a big one for me, just the way the team came together and worked for each other, I was over the moon with that result, personally.
“We went to the Rás, which we’ve never done before, and won two stages, the points jersey and the team classification. We were only 8 seconds off the podium individually on GC too. We had a fantastic race there and carried that momentum into the National Championships and the National Circuit Series.”
Australian Fox was the team’s standout rider on the Emerald Isle, winning two stages and the points jersey, with climber Tom Martin coming home in 5th place overall for the ‘men in green’.
The squad has impressed with its ability to work as a team this season, most recently seen in the National Circuit Series, where they rallied behind Fox in a titanic battle against Ben Chilton on the streets of Newark. Although they couldn’t quite pull off the overall win, the performances over the series bring out a sense of pride in Reid.
“All I ask of the riders is that when they say they’re going to do a race, commit to it and to turn up in a condition where they can give their all, whether that is to win the race or support a teammate. The only other thing is for the National Road Series races that they come and are committed to it and every single one of our lads has been fantastic in that department.”
Confidence is clearly high within the Cumbrian team, with Reid seeing the success 2023 has brought them as the rewards for a long-term project started by Toby Dalton, the team owner and director of Wheelbase. There are few men more qualified to talk about the domestic cycling scene than Reid, who has spent a quarter of a century in the Wheelbase setup in a variety of roles including employee, rider, DS and team manager. “I rode the Otley GP 20 years ago, I’ve been in and around the sport, and the team, for a long time,” he says, having transitioned slowly from rider to team manager, a role he has thrown himself at for the past three years, having given up racing due to a back injury.
“We’ve had a pretty successful year, but we’ve been plugging away at this for a long time. We’ve had good individual results over the years, but we’ve not had the collective success of the past few months,” explains Reid, who is more than aware of the sea change in domestic cycling this season, which sees the team come to races among the favourites for the first time.
“We’ve benefited from the reduction of UCI Continental teams in the UK, for sure. Last year Tim Elverson’s Wiv SunGod team dominated almost every race and although those riders are still around and racing, they’re not a collective anymore, so they don’t have that stranglehold.
“Ilkley and Guildford were the first times a National Circuit Series podium didn’t have a UCI Continental rider on them, which demonstrates that. The racing has become more open and it’s good; instead of one team thinking about who will win, there’s 15 riders thinking they can win, racing like they want to win, instead of defensively and following essentially the best team. It’s still hard, obviously, but it’s not quite as dominated by one or two teams. Saint Piran dominated the Lincoln and Lancaster GPs [Ed: and the Ryedale Grasscrete Grand Prix, subsequently], but I’m not sure that’s going to be the case in every race. We’ll see!” he laughs, stopping his enthusiasm from taking over and making too many bold predictions.
The state of domestic cycling is an issue which constantly affects teams and Reid has seen Wheelbase weather many changes, both positive and negative. The squad were involved in the inaugural Tour Series and have mixed it with a host of UCI Continental Teams, claiming an impressive National Road Series podium through Finn Crockett in 2021. Now they are leading the charge against Saint Piran and a number of Elite Development Teams.
“People are always like ‘oh, the British scene is dead’” he laments. “It’s not particularly healthy, but the actual racing is fantastic. The British professional domestic scene is particularly challenged but the actual racing scene from 4th category to Elite is healthy, there’s a lot that want to race, there’s only so many races for them to do.”
Reid is keen to not place a huge amount of blame at the door of British Cycling, instead insisting the issue is the huge cost of putting on races. “I don’t think British Cycling could do any more. It’s just the state of the race scene, British Cycling are taking whoever will put a race on. It’s tough, I’ve spoken to a number of organisers and it’s getting harder. Even closing a town centre off for the evening is financially challenging and to put on a round of the National Road Series is a bit ridiculous. That’s the issue with the British scene, really. Every race in my local area is over-subscribed, be it a Premier Calendar [Ed: i.e. National Road Series] or a criterium, there’s just not enough races because it’s becoming so financially expensive to put them on.”
Classed as ‘club’ team, the Wheelbase riders are all amateurs, with Reid and the team setup offering them a helping hand rather than a strong fist in the direction they would like go. “Obviously, every rider has their own individual goals. Myself and Alex Turner, a former Wheelbase rider who’s the CabTech element of the team, sit down with the team at the training camp or early in the season and ask them what those goals are and tell them what we would like them to do. I’m fairly comfortable in letting them do a lot of their own thing really because we’re not a professional team, we’re not paying anyone’s wage so I can’t dictate what they do on a day to day level. However, we do support the riders a lot financially in terms of bikes and travel, equipment and expenses.”
This amateur status would come to cost the team in the National Circuit Series, the logistics of racing nationwide a step too far when riders and staff are balancing their daily lives away from the bike. Speaking partway through the National Circuit Series, Reid was already looking back on the Guildford round with hindsight, where they fielded a sole rider; Matt Fox’s absence potentially costing him the Series overall.
“I was really torn with Guildford,” says Reid, who like always is infectiously positive about the sport in general, despite the realisation of what could have been now hitting home. “It’s fantastic that we’ve got another round, and there’s a large southern contingent that come and do all the circuit races that are predominantly northern based. I wanted to [go], but I just couldn’t get the time off work. In hindsight, I never dreamed we’d have had those results at Otley and Ilkley. It would have been nice to go down there, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Next year I’ll happily go to Guildford, we used to go and do the London Nocturne and I’m happy to do that. It’s a national series, and the fact it’s geographically spread is a good thing, it shouldn’t all be in the north.”
The Guildford dilemma is one of the finer points of the current domestic scene, with logistics playing a large role in determining the strength of the field, with the only two UCI-registered British teams prioritising racing in Europe. Reid explains that it would have been a ten-hour drive for Aberdeenshire-based Tim Shoreman to take the start in Guildford, and with all his riders in some form of work or education, it leaves his team, like many others, between a rock and a hard place.
A constant theme of our conversation is the word ‘development’. Throughout their existence the team has produced some of the best talent to race at UCI Continental level in Britain, from former national hill climb champion Jack Pullar to CiCLE Classic winner Finn Crockett, via former Team DSM WorldTour rider Mark Donovan, who raced cyclocross in the team’s colours as a junior. The team missed out on Elite Development Team Status due to a clerical error, something Reid is very much nonplussed about.
“We are, by definition, an Elite Development Team. You don’t necessarily need a badge to have to do that,” Reid declares, pointing to his team’s proud history of producing riders ready for the step up to UCI level. “I appreciate what British Cycling are trying to do and I’m all for supporting that, but we’re all about developing riders to bigger and better things. It’s just a badge.
“The biggest thing is in races like the CiCLE Classic we were only afforded the luxury of having four riders; Elite Development Teams got six. But all of our riders finished and Jacob [Smith] was in the front group until he punctured with 4km to go, while some Elite Development Teams had no finishers.”
When I ask about what makes Wheelbase CabTech Castelli unique, Reid offers a surprising response. “I wouldn’t say we’re any different to Cycling Sheffield or PB Performance, we’re all very similar.”
The common bond that ties these teams together is their aim to develop, with experienced former riders helping guide the way. “We sent Callum Thornley to Trinity last year, Finn Crockett to Ribble Weldtite and we’ve all seen what he’s done, so we are developing riders to move on to better things,” clocks Reid, affirming the team’s most recent success stories
Callum Thornley is the latest rider the team have moved on, the Peebles based rider joining the team in 2022 before signing for Trinity Racing this season, following an impressive silver medal in the U23 National Time Time Trial Championships last June. He is the latest in a line of impressive recruits from north of the border, including the aforementioned Shoreman, Crockett and Pullar.
“You may have noticed a large Scottish contingent within the team?” asks Reid rhetorically. “That’s partly down to Davie Lines who’s very involved in the Scottish scene and has those connections, but mainly down to Evan Oliphant who heads up the Scottish Programme [Head Coach at Scottish Cycling]. He’ll get in touch with me if there’s someone with potential who maybe hasn’t had the best results.
“Callum was a prime example – he was mainly mountain biking and had very few road results but was being coached by Evan, who suggested we take a bit of a punt on him. He was absolutely fantastic and deserved to move on to Trinity and to bigger and better things.”
The team usually advertises for riders on social media and keeps an open mind to talent from different pathways, forming a habit of selecting riders with good potential. The latest of those is Australian Matt Fox, perhaps the standout rider in the UK this season after his impressive performances in the Ràs and the National Circuit Series.
Fox was born in Yorkshire, where his father and uncle still reside. After moving to Australia when he was still a toddler, Fox returned to the UK to race with Wheelbase following a family friend enquiring about a space on the team for him to Reid.
“I had a long conversation with Matt on the phone and we decided to give it a go; you can see how that’s turned out! He came to us last year and had some pretty decent results, top ten in the Newark crit, top ten at Otley, 16th at the Lancaster GP. Solid, but he has definitely stepped up. It’s possibly to do with physical development but also reading the races – I’ve not raced in Australia, but I imagine it’s a little bit different there.”
The team supports a number of riders during the cyclocross season, including Rory McGuire, the Scot racing World Cups for Great Britain and taking victories in the National Trophy over the past few years.
Lewis Craven became World Masters Champion in 2021 after riding for the team for over a decade, Reid directly helping out in the pits, giving up his spare time, year round for the sport. “To see your friend become world champion, that really is something else!” he says, declaring this favourite moment in the history of the team. It is this answer that perhaps reveals why Wheelbase have enjoyed such longevity and success: passion.
Reid believes a deep passion is something that runs through the whole team, starting at the top. “We just have a strong passion for the sport. Toby [Dalton] has a strong passion for the sport. He doesn’t have to have the team, he just loves the sport and has a passion for it to the point he’s happy to put his finance behind it.”
Featured image: Craig Zadoroznyj/SWpix.com
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