The only predictable element of racing in Britain’s domestic scene is its sheer unpredictability; the nature of the sport on these shores is unlike anywhere else in the world. It is a rule that stands true, with perhaps one exception: a solo breakaway from Tom Martin. Clad in the vibrant green of his local Wheelbase CabTech Castelli team, the Cumbrian has lit up the National Road Series over the past two years, the results sheets failing to fully reflect the impact the 26-year-old has had.
I’d rather go all in and not win, than just ride for 3rd or ride for a top ten
Martin came agonisingly close to pulling off spectacular wins at the Beaumont Trophy, and the Ryedale and Lancaster Grands Prix in 2024, before instigating the winning move in the East Cleveland Classic this month. He has since underscored his racing philosophy with a brilliant overall victory at the 2025 Rás Mumhan, claiming two stages and overturning a significant deficit with a characteristically attacking, solo performance. His combative style and penchant for going alone has also paid dividends across the Irish Sea previously, where he soloed to a memorable stage win in Ireland’s premier stage race, the Ràs Tailteann, last June.
Martin wins the final stage of the 2025 Rás Mumham. Image: Caroline Kerley
“I’d rather go all in and not win, than just ride for 3rd or ride for a top ten,” Martin says, setting out his philosophy on racing as he chats to The British Continental ahead of the 2025 season. “I get criticised a lot for the way I ride, but I enjoy racing how I race, so I’m not going to change that,” he continues defiantly. “It’s about not being afraid to give it a go. Like at Ryedale and Lancaster, you just give it a go – what’s the worst that can happen? I’d rather get caught than ride around and finish 15th or something.”
I get criticised a lot for the way I ride, but I enjoy racing how I race, so I’m not going to change that
Martin’s straight-talking, no-nonsense answers mirror his style of racing, an approach that has not only brought him admiration but results too, the noted protagonist earning a reputation as one of the most consistent performers on the domestic scene.
“I was really consistent all [last] year, but I think I’ve been consistent like that for quite a few years, even in Europe, which you don’t get to see in the UK,” he points out, victories over the past few seasons ranging from the hot volcanic landscapes of the Vuelta a Tenerife in 2022 to the windswept, rugged hillsides of the Peaks 2 Day twelve months ago.
“2023 was alright too, not amazing,” Martin continues, reflecting on the year that saw him return to racing on home soil after two years at the forefront of Spain’s competitive amateur scene. Cycling, like for almost all riders now racing in the UK, became a part-time vocation for the Cumbrian, who took up a full-time role with BAE Systems; finding the balance between work and pleasure a major influence on his aggressive style. “I enjoy trying, so I’m never going to stop trying, racing just for fun,” he explains. “I’m not paid to race, so I’ll race how I want to.”
Martin at the 2025 Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic. Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Martin is not shy about his desire to turn the sport into a full-time occupation, speaking with a hunger in his voice as he reiterates his ambition to reach a position “where you’re getting paid to ride and you’re making a living from it” throughout the interview. Racing with Elite Development Team Wheelbase CabTech Castelli for a third straight season in 2025, Martin is hoping to make the most of any opportunities he gets to impress potential employers but says his main goal is simply to “continue what I’ve been doing, just enjoy racing and win as much as possible.”
It’s a shame there’s not more races in the UK where you get to show your level properly like that
Martin grabbed a rare chance to impress last season, putting in a fine ride in the National Road Race Championships, where he made a select leading group containing some of the sport’s biggest names. “It’s a shame there’s not more races in the UK where you get to show your level properly like that,” he notes, with the only UCI races for men in Britain now being the CiCLE Classic and the Tour of Britain.
“I was really proud of my ride at the Nationals, I had been ill the weekend before with a sickness bug, I’d had five days off and it was one of those, ‘I’ll see how I go.’ I really wanted to do a good ride and get up the road, and when you’ve got the WorldTour boys there, they’re keen to do the same thing, you just have to be in the right place at the right time in getting away with them.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
“After that, I was really motivated. I was reaching out to teams trying to get something, whether that be Conti, Pro Conti, or WorldTour. I had a couple of conversations with a Pro Conti team but it just never really got anywhere. It sort of came down to questions about numbers and weight, and it’s like, well that’s all great, but half the guys that were in that group got spat before I did, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?!”
That anecdote is a fitting reflection of Martin’s journey in road racing thus far. Coming to the road relatively late from a mountain bike background, the Cumbrian is among the best in the UK to have never graced a UCI team. Now 10kg heavier than when he first went to Europe to race in the COVID-19-hit 2020 season, Martin believes he is a better rider for it.
I think as I stopped trying to chase a weight that was sort of encouraged with the environment I was in when I first went to Europe – being pushed to being a climber – I’m much better for it, much more well-rounded
“I always liked the idea of being a climber, that seemed to be where my strengths were. But I think as I stopped trying to chase a weight that was sort of encouraged with the environment I was in when I first went to Europe – being pushed to being a climber – I’m much better for it, much more well-rounded. Still can’t sprint but I can keep on going all day!” he laughs.
Between 2021 and 2023, when based in Europe (one season in Italy, and two in Spain), Martin came close to signing for UCI Continental squads, although external factors prevented the moves from being finalised. “I’d get promised a ride then flicked at the last minute, teams falling through at the last minute, it’s never really fallen into place,” he says, describing an all-too-familiar tale of life in the sport’s third division.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
“For me there’s no point going to ride for a Conti team if you’re trying to juggle working, scratching around basically. You want to have a good setup, you want a good calendar. On Wheelbase I get really well looked after with good equipment, good bikes, we get the races we want to do. Obviously, it would be nice to do more, but it’s always consistent; you know what you’re going to get and you get it. A lot of the time you get promised the world and don’t get that, but with Wheelbase we get what we’re promised.”
A lot of the time you get promised the world and don’t get that, but with Wheelbase we get what we’re promised
Now in his mid-20s, Martin is under no illusion that perhaps his best chance of turning professional on the road has passed. “You’ve got to be realistic with where the road will take you racing in the UK,” he says, acknowledging the demise of Britain’s UCI Continental scene, which has severed a vital path for riders like himself.
Looking for different avenues to make cycling his living, Martin is returning to his roots, putting extra focus on the growing gravel calendar and the opportunities it’s beginning to provide—his off-road credentials still strong, having earned a silver medal at the National Mountain Bike Marathon Championships last year.
“I love riding the gravel; that’s why I want to do more this year. I want to see where that takes me. I’m trying to get some more sponsors on board to do more of the world series,” he reveals.
For now, Martin remains something of a trailblazer, improving on the world stage and aiming for the top step domestically. Fixated on making the sport his career in the future, he is enjoying the present, one attack at a time.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
The only predictable element of racing in Britain’s domestic scene is its sheer unpredictability; the nature of the sport on these shores is unlike anywhere else in the world. It is a rule that stands true, with perhaps one exception: a solo breakaway from Tom Martin. Clad in the vibrant green of his local Wheelbase CabTech Castelli team, the Cumbrian has lit up the National Road Series over the past two years, the results sheets failing to fully reflect the impact the 26-year-old has had.
Martin came agonisingly close to pulling off spectacular wins at the Beaumont Trophy, and the Ryedale and Lancaster Grands Prix in 2024, before instigating the winning move in the East Cleveland Classic this month. He has since underscored his racing philosophy with a brilliant overall victory at the 2025 Rás Mumhan, claiming two stages and overturning a significant deficit with a characteristically attacking, solo performance. His combative style and penchant for going alone has also paid dividends across the Irish Sea previously, where he soloed to a memorable stage win in Ireland’s premier stage race, the Ràs Tailteann, last June.
“I’d rather go all in and not win, than just ride for 3rd or ride for a top ten,” Martin says, setting out his philosophy on racing as he chats to The British Continental ahead of the 2025 season. “I get criticised a lot for the way I ride, but I enjoy racing how I race, so I’m not going to change that,” he continues defiantly. “It’s about not being afraid to give it a go. Like at Ryedale and Lancaster, you just give it a go – what’s the worst that can happen? I’d rather get caught than ride around and finish 15th or something.”
Martin’s straight-talking, no-nonsense answers mirror his style of racing, an approach that has not only brought him admiration but results too, the noted protagonist earning a reputation as one of the most consistent performers on the domestic scene.
“I was really consistent all [last] year, but I think I’ve been consistent like that for quite a few years, even in Europe, which you don’t get to see in the UK,” he points out, victories over the past few seasons ranging from the hot volcanic landscapes of the Vuelta a Tenerife in 2022 to the windswept, rugged hillsides of the Peaks 2 Day twelve months ago.
“2023 was alright too, not amazing,” Martin continues, reflecting on the year that saw him return to racing on home soil after two years at the forefront of Spain’s competitive amateur scene. Cycling, like for almost all riders now racing in the UK, became a part-time vocation for the Cumbrian, who took up a full-time role with BAE Systems; finding the balance between work and pleasure a major influence on his aggressive style. “I enjoy trying, so I’m never going to stop trying, racing just for fun,” he explains. “I’m not paid to race, so I’ll race how I want to.”
Martin is not shy about his desire to turn the sport into a full-time occupation, speaking with a hunger in his voice as he reiterates his ambition to reach a position “where you’re getting paid to ride and you’re making a living from it” throughout the interview. Racing with Elite Development Team Wheelbase CabTech Castelli for a third straight season in 2025, Martin is hoping to make the most of any opportunities he gets to impress potential employers but says his main goal is simply to “continue what I’ve been doing, just enjoy racing and win as much as possible.”
Martin grabbed a rare chance to impress last season, putting in a fine ride in the National Road Race Championships, where he made a select leading group containing some of the sport’s biggest names. “It’s a shame there’s not more races in the UK where you get to show your level properly like that,” he notes, with the only UCI races for men in Britain now being the CiCLE Classic and the Tour of Britain.
“I was really proud of my ride at the Nationals, I had been ill the weekend before with a sickness bug, I’d had five days off and it was one of those, ‘I’ll see how I go.’ I really wanted to do a good ride and get up the road, and when you’ve got the WorldTour boys there, they’re keen to do the same thing, you just have to be in the right place at the right time in getting away with them.
“After that, I was really motivated. I was reaching out to teams trying to get something, whether that be Conti, Pro Conti, or WorldTour. I had a couple of conversations with a Pro Conti team but it just never really got anywhere. It sort of came down to questions about numbers and weight, and it’s like, well that’s all great, but half the guys that were in that group got spat before I did, so it doesn’t really matter, does it?!”
That anecdote is a fitting reflection of Martin’s journey in road racing thus far. Coming to the road relatively late from a mountain bike background, the Cumbrian is among the best in the UK to have never graced a UCI team. Now 10kg heavier than when he first went to Europe to race in the COVID-19-hit 2020 season, Martin believes he is a better rider for it.
“I always liked the idea of being a climber, that seemed to be where my strengths were. But I think as I stopped trying to chase a weight that was sort of encouraged with the environment I was in when I first went to Europe – being pushed to being a climber – I’m much better for it, much more well-rounded. Still can’t sprint but I can keep on going all day!” he laughs.
Between 2021 and 2023, when based in Europe (one season in Italy, and two in Spain), Martin came close to signing for UCI Continental squads, although external factors prevented the moves from being finalised. “I’d get promised a ride then flicked at the last minute, teams falling through at the last minute, it’s never really fallen into place,” he says, describing an all-too-familiar tale of life in the sport’s third division.
“For me there’s no point going to ride for a Conti team if you’re trying to juggle working, scratching around basically. You want to have a good setup, you want a good calendar. On Wheelbase I get really well looked after with good equipment, good bikes, we get the races we want to do. Obviously, it would be nice to do more, but it’s always consistent; you know what you’re going to get and you get it. A lot of the time you get promised the world and don’t get that, but with Wheelbase we get what we’re promised.”
Now in his mid-20s, Martin is under no illusion that perhaps his best chance of turning professional on the road has passed. “You’ve got to be realistic with where the road will take you racing in the UK,” he says, acknowledging the demise of Britain’s UCI Continental scene, which has severed a vital path for riders like himself.
Looking for different avenues to make cycling his living, Martin is returning to his roots, putting extra focus on the growing gravel calendar and the opportunities it’s beginning to provide—his off-road credentials still strong, having earned a silver medal at the National Mountain Bike Marathon Championships last year.
“I love riding the gravel; that’s why I want to do more this year. I want to see where that takes me. I’m trying to get some more sponsors on board to do more of the world series,” he reveals.
For now, Martin remains something of a trailblazer, improving on the world stage and aiming for the top step domestically. Fixated on making the sport his career in the future, he is enjoying the present, one attack at a time.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
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