Seven riders and £8,000: how Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck sit top of the rankings
With just seven riders and an £8,000 budget, Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck lead both the team and individual standings in British road racing. Our new feature looks at how they recruit overlooked talent, use strength-in-numbers tactics and rely on a close network of volunteers to outperform their rivals - and asks what comes next for Britain’s most efficient cycling team.
At first glance it looks like a typo: a cycling team with only seven riders and an£8,000 budget heads the national road race rankings. Yet Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck not only leads the team standings; its riders occupy first, second and third in the individual list. The feat comes just as British domestic racing – on the men’s side at least – has reverted to its amateur roots, after the last UCI Continental squads folded. In a sport where Conti teams once fielded large rosters backed by six-figure sums, this tight-knit outfit has relied on teamwork and tenacity to reach the top of The British Continental rankings. How have they done it?
Rise of the amateurs
As of 2025, for the first time in nearly two decades, there are no British men’s UCI Continental (professional third-tier) road teams. The last holdouts – Trinity Racing and Saint Piran – folded at the end of 2024 amid sponsorship struggles. In their absence, the top-tier domestic races are now the domain of low-budget amateur squads. These teams rely on volunteer staff and racers who juggle cycling with day jobs or studies. It’s a stark new reality for the sport, but one in which Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck has thrived like no other.
The British Continental national road race rankings – team @ 21 May 2025. Source: Stats Hub
A glance at the current team rankings underlines SRCT’s dominance. Despite its diminutive squad, the team has accumulated more points than any rival, sitting first in the team table while its riders occupy all three podium places in the individual standings.
The British Continental national road race rankings -individual @ 21 May 2025. Source: Stats Hub
That supremacy translates into an unrivalled points-per-rider ratio.
Team
2025 Points
Squad Size
Points/Rider (avg)
Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck
1145
7
164
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli
871
11
79
Raptor Factory Racing
627
7
90
Top three teams in the 2025 British road race rankings, showing total points and average points per rider. Source: Stats Hub
What’s more, SRCT has logged more wins and podiums than any other squad at National A and National B level this season—headlined by victory at the East Cleveland Classic – while Adam Howell leads the National Road Series after two rounds.
Team
Wins
Podiums
Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck
6
12
Primera-TeamJobs
3
5
Raptor Factory Racing
2
6
Wheelbase CabTech Castelli
2
5
Spirit Racing Team
2
4
Total wins and podiums in Nat A and Nat B road races in 2025. Source: Stats Hub
How has an outfit of half a dozen unpaid riders risen to rule a national series once populated by professional teams? The answer lies in canny recruitment, a savvy racing strategy, a tight-knit team culture, and a support network driven entirely by passion.
Canny recruitment: spotting tomorrow’s stars
Ask team manager Adam Ellis how a team with no wage bill keeps unearthing race-winners and he points to two guiding instincts: look where the others aren’t and back riders on the rise, not riders with résumés.
He says his first step each winter is simply listening, looking for “names that keep popping up”. He also credits the hands-on knowledge of sports director and Loughborough Performance Coach, Phill Maddocks: “Yeah, obviously I know a lot of the riders and I know what they’re doing and Phil’s always got his sort of ear to the ground on who’s doing what, where and when,” Ellis says.
That low-budget radar enabled the team to sign four of 2025’s breakthrough performers, all of whom joined at the beginning of the season.
Ed Morgan – Ellis had watched the Welshman juggle a full-time teaching post with racing in 2024. “I knew Ed the year before he’d been working in a school so he’d not had the time to train but I knew he was a quality rider that was going to put more time into training the next year, so I thought that he would step up which he has,” Ellis recalls.
Adam Howell – a self-funded under-23 who first caught Ellis’s eye finishing 14th at the 2024 Ryedale Grand Prix. “I was following the tracking at… World Gravel Champs and he was staying with Connor Swift for pretty much most of the race and I thought this guy’s got some gas, you know,” he says. A phone call full of “such an enthusiastic” attitude sealed the deal.
Alex Beldon – left without a Conti contract when TRINITY Racing folded, Beldon surfaced via a chance chat on Ellis’s annual Lanzarote riding holiday. “Alex’s dad actually coaches Matt Bottrill… he just said to me, TRINITY had folded… he’s a good lad… so yeah, had a chat with Alex and that’s how the new riders all came about really,” Ellis explains.
Conor White – Scott Redding and Will Truelove met Conor at the Gravel Grit n’ Grind race in Sweden last year; they kept in touch and after speaking with him decided that he’d be a good fit. The Caribbean time trial champion and an experienced crit racer, the Bermudian has settled well.
Rider
How they were spotted
2025 highlights
Ed Morgan
Knew potential once he quit teaching to train full-time
1st, PNE National B road race; 4th, Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic
Adam Howell
Ryedale GP and gravel race GPS showed raw engine
1st, East Cleveland Classic; 1st, Kennel Hill Classic; 1st, Stage 1 – Peaks 2-Day
Retention is as important as discovery. SRCT persuaded 2023 PB Performance Espoirs road race winner Will Truelove to stay despite zero salary by offering genuine leadership chances and an environment built on frank communication. Truelove’s performances have been outstanding this year, never finishing outside the top 5 until crashing out of the Rutland-Melton Classic in April.
By gambling on upward curves rather than glittering CVs, Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck turns overlooked riders into headline acts – and does so for the price of a few phone calls.
The £8,000 budget
Conventional wisdom says riders follow the money – but at Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck, there isn’t much money to follow. Ellis says the team’s entire cash budget is £8,000 for the year. Out of that shoestring, Ellis must pay for race entries, travel, fuel and more. “It’s really tight at the moment,” Ellis concedes, adding that he may have to dip into his own savings if late-season costs outrun the ledger.
Keeping the show on the road therefore means conjuring money from whatever assets the team can spare. A fresh shipment of Storck frames this spring created the next revenue stream: “Once the guys get them all built up we’ll have some old frames to sell as well… we’ll get a couple of grand,” he says.
Riders also shoulder part of the load. Before the season began, Ellis warned the riders that any international block would be “self-funded” unless results unlocked new income; early-season prize money is now financing a two-race swing in France, proof that collective success can literally pay the bills. It’s a gamble – “let’s go to France and see if we can double our money” is Ellis’ light-hearted rallying cry – but it illustrates the commitment all around. The athletes are effectively reinvesting their winnings to gain experience and expose themselves (and the team) on an international stage.
We’ve built a reputation – we’ll do what we say we’re going to do, and we won’t promise anything we can’t deliver
Why join a team with no salaries?
So why do talented cyclists sign up for a team that can’t pay wages? The answer lies in an atmosphere of honesty, opportunity and fun that Ellis and Maddocks have carefully cultivated. “Straight away, I’m always honest with the lads,” says Ellis. “We’ve built a reputation – we’ll do what we say we’re going to do, and we won’t promise anything we can’t deliver.” That transparency goes a long way. Riders know exactly what they’re getting: a well-run programme (despite the amateur budget), where their development and race goals come first. The team provides as much as it can – bikes, kit, equipment, nutrition – through generous product sponsors. And in return, the riders give their all on the bike, motivated by team spirit rather than paychecks.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
“We try to do everything properly,” Ellis emphasises. The project was originally founded during the 2020 lockdown by British motorbike racing star Scott Redding, who applied a professional mindset from day one. Redding – a former MotoGP rider and World Superbike contender – didn’t want a vanity team; he wanted to develop young cyclists. He insisted that no rider should ever have to pay their own way. “Scott said it should all be provided if we can manage it,” Ellis recalls. That ethos, rare at the amateur level, set Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck apart. Even as cash ran short, they found ways to cover basics for the riders. (At one point the team even had a sponsored BMW support car thanks to Redding’s connections; when that deal ended, Ellis sold his personal van to buy a car so the show could go on.) Such sacrifices haven’t gone unnoticed by the riders, who repay the faith with loyalty and results.
The draw, it seems, is not financial but familial. “The communication within the team is great – the WhatsApp’s pinging every day with banter,” Ellis smiles. “It’s a fun atmosphere. We’re a group of friends as much as teammates.” That sense of belonging, coupled with the chance to lead races, has attracted riders who might otherwise have drifted out of the sport or sat on the bench elsewhere.
Strength in numbers
On the road, Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck’s calling card is teamwork. Rather than rely on a single star, the team uses its strength in numbers to dictate races. “We have a strong yet compact squad of six riders [Redding has been unable to do much racing so far this season], each capable of winning in their own right, but more importantly, each willing to sacrifice personal results for the team goal – a trait that is hard to find,” explains Maddocks. From the opening races of 2025, their tactic has been clear: ensure multiple pink-and-blue jerseys are in every decisive move at the sharp end of races.
From the races so far, it’s clear that numbers in the decisive moves is our key strategy
“From the races so far, it’s clear that numbers in the decisive moves is our key strategy,” Maddocks says. In years past, a few dominant individuals – or a dominant team in Saint Piran’s case – might have decided domestic races single-handedly. But now, “with the current depth of the British field, there’s no single dominant rider, making strength in numbers at the front the defining factor”. By always having two or three riders in the lead group, SRCT can attack in waves and control the race tactically.
Maddocks points to April’s Danum Trophy as a textbook example. In that National A road race, SRCT got four of its riders into a late 12-man lead group – effectively securing numerical supremacy. “From there the race ‘restarts’, and again we fire riders off the front, ultimately Ed going solo, and the other riders then following chase moves and slowing the group down,” Maddocks recalls. With two team-mates disrupting any chase, lone leader Ed [Morgan] was able to stay clear. In fact, the team nearly swept the podium: “Think we finished 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th from those efforts,” Maddocks notes matter-of-factly. All four of those riders had forgone personal chances to ensure one of them won – and it worked to perfection.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
A similar scene played out at the East Cleveland Classic. There, SRCT again placed three riders in the decisive break of about a dozen. Eventually one SRCT and one Wheelbase rider broke away for the win, while “both teams’ team-mates then jumped on every counter move to ensure that group stayed away, essentially throwing away the podium chance for themselves in the process”. Such selflessness is now a hallmark of the team. Winning as a unit takes priority over individual glory – a somewhat old-school ethos that has delivered a haul of victories this season.
We’ve really looked at the races and analysed what the key moments are, when the key breaks might go, and who the opposition leaders are
Crucially, SRCT’s racers execute these plans with discipline. According to team manager Adam Ellis, races are meticulously studied in advance. “We’ve really looked at the races and analysed what the key moments are, when the key breaks might go, and who the opposition leaders are,” he explains, crediting Maddocks for his tactical acumen. The approach at one marquee event, the Rapha Lincoln GP, was to conserve energy early and then flood the front when it mattered: “For Lincoln, for example, we didn’t really do anything for the first 90 minutes… then it really sort of kicked off – we managed to get three guys up there” in the finale. Even when that race didn’t yield a podium, the plan of mass presence nearly paid off; and 5th, 6th and 7th on the day was still an impressive return. The pattern is clear: SRCT aims to out-number and out-smart the competition when the decisive splits occur.
All for one
Behind the team’s tactical masterstrokes is a culture of trust and unity. Riders are fully committed to working for each other – a commitment nurtured by open communication and honest leadership. “I don’t believe there’s any secret to the team’s success,” Maddocks says. “The harmony between riders and staff can never be undervalued. I’m also a firm believer that success breeds success… once the ball is rolling, that confidence remains”. SRCT’s winning streak has only strengthened the bond in the squad, creating a virtuous circle of belief.
I don’t want people talking behind backs – let’s have a good honest debrief, and then we’ll move forward to the next race
One way the team maintains its harmony is through candid post-race debriefs. Ellis has instituted a Monday night video call for all riders and staff after each race. “We sit there and talk about it… it’s a good hour where everyone debriefs their race,” he says. The twist is that anyone can speak up: no hierarchy, no hard feelings. “If you want to call each other out, now’s the time to do it,” Ellis explains. “I don’t want people talking behind backs – let’s have a good honest debrief, and then we’ll move forward to the next race”. Once any critiques are aired, the slate is wiped clean: “After this debrief we’re all friends again,” he adds. This level of transparency keeps the team cohesive and accountable. Mistakes are acknowledged openly, lessons are learned together, and grudges don’t fester. As Ellis puts it, “everyone’s learning, everyone wants to achieve… we’re definitely achieving more as a team than we were as individuals. So it’s working.”
Running on passion
If SRCT’s racers epitomise commitment on the bike, the same is true behind the scenes, where the team stretches every pound through in-kind support and volunteer labour.
No one gets paid and that’s where we are. I think everyone realises that – they just enjoy the sport and enjoy being a part of it
Day-to-day, a small army of helpers keeps SRCT running smoothly. These aren’t paid staffers, but friends, family and enthusiastic supporters. “My wife helps out feeding at a few races,” mentions Ellis, almost in passing. One sponsor’s parents – who had never been involved in cycling before – have thrown themselves into the soigneur role, handing up bottles and cheering at events. “We like to do that… if we’ve got sponsors that come with the team, you know, you can get involved,” Ellis says, welcoming anyone willing to lend a hand. There’s even a Metropolitan Police officer, Harry, who spends his free weekends driving the team van to races. “He’s handy to have as well… a good little team supporting everyone,” Ellis notes appreciatively. As is the norm at this level, none of these people receive a paycheck – they give their time purely for love of the sport. “No one gets paid and that’s where we are,” Ellis says. “I think everyone realises that – they just enjoy the sport and enjoy being a part of it.”
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
Crucially, SRCT’s organisation mimics that of better-funded teams, even if all involved are volunteers. Unlike many domestic squads where one overburdened manager does everything, SRCT has a clear division of roles. Ellis oversees logistics and sponsor relations as the team manager, while Maddocks focuses on race planning and directing on the day. “Some other teams have managers doing the logistics, the sponsors, the riders, the race plans, timing plans… It’s an awful lot for a single person to complete by themselves,” notes Maddocks, who came on board as DS this year. With SRCT, having distinct staff roles means “each job role can be focused 100%, giving more time to plan each stage. For example, as DS, I will plan the weekend timings and race plans, whilst Adam is busy talking with sponsors, sorting logistics etc.,” Maddocks explains. This structure, rare at the amateur level, ensures no aspect of the team’s operation is neglected. The result is a well-oiled setup achieved on a volunteer basis – truly running on passion and dedication.
Continental ambitions
With SRCT’s dominance on home roads clear, the question naturally arises: what next? Could this band of amateur giant-killers take the leap to become a UCI Continental team in the future? Ellis has been pondering the idea – and the hurdles. In theory, stepping up to Continental level would allow the team into higher-profile races (like the Tour of Britain and UCI-ranked events in Europe), bringing valuable exposure. In practice, it all comes down to money. “I spoke to Scott [Redding] last week about if we can find the funding, can we go UCI… and I want to do that,” Ellis says. The irony, he believes, is that securing a major sponsor might actually be easier if the team were racing internationally. Big races mean TV time and media coverage – exactly what the current domestic scene lacks. “If you get into the Tour of Britain, if you get into some of the European stage races, we might get more exposure…and that’s more appealing to sponsors. So to find bigger money might be actually easier than trying to find £20,000 to run an elite team,” Ellis suggests.
If you get into the Tour of Britain, if you get into some of the European stage races, we might get more exposure…and that’s more appealing to sponsors. So to find bigger money might be actually easier than trying to find £20,000 to run an elite team
It’s a tantalising prospect for a squad that has proven so much with so little. Ellis is confident that the pieces are in place, except for funding. “We’ve got the people to do it, we just can’t find a sponsor to help us along that path,” he says bluntly. A six-figure infusion – the kind needed to register as a Continental team – would allow SRCT to pay riders and staff something, and cover the bigger travel costs of a European race programme. It would also pose new questions: How big a roster would they need? Would they sign a raft of new talents, or stick to the tight unit that got them here? Ellis muses that even with UCI status, he’d keep the team fairly small and focused, both to stay sustainable and to avoid upsetting the competitive balance at home. “We could still… we’ve done a lot with the budget we’ve had, so we’ve kind of proved that. The next step would be running a Continental team,” he says, weighing the options. He even worries – half-seriously – that if only one British team went Continental, it could end up hoarding all the best domestic riders and “spoil the UK scene” by crushing the now-balanced amateur competition. It’s the kind of big-picture consideration that underscores Ellis’s thoughtful approach.
For now, the Continental dream remains just that – a dream on the horizon. The reality is that Britain’s best men’s team is an amateur outfit performing miracles on a budget smaller than some pros earn in a month. And everyone involved appears content to keep it going regardless of whether a sponsor comes along. “We’re just doing little steps at a time and see where it leads,” says Ellis of the future. Those little steps have already taken Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck to heights no one expected.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
At first glance it looks like a typo: a cycling team with only seven riders and an £8,000 budget heads the national road race rankings. Yet Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck not only leads the team standings; its riders occupy first, second and third in the individual list. The feat comes just as British domestic racing – on the men’s side at least – has reverted to its amateur roots, after the last UCI Continental squads folded. In a sport where Conti teams once fielded large rosters backed by six-figure sums, this tight-knit outfit has relied on teamwork and tenacity to reach the top of The British Continental rankings. How have they done it?
Rise of the amateurs
As of 2025, for the first time in nearly two decades, there are no British men’s UCI Continental (professional third-tier) road teams. The last holdouts – Trinity Racing and Saint Piran – folded at the end of 2024 amid sponsorship struggles. In their absence, the top-tier domestic races are now the domain of low-budget amateur squads. These teams rely on volunteer staff and racers who juggle cycling with day jobs or studies. It’s a stark new reality for the sport, but one in which Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck has thrived like no other.
A glance at the current team rankings underlines SRCT’s dominance. Despite its diminutive squad, the team has accumulated more points than any rival, sitting first in the team table while its riders occupy all three podium places in the individual standings.
That supremacy translates into an unrivalled points-per-rider ratio.
What’s more, SRCT has logged more wins and podiums than any other squad at National A and National B level this season—headlined by victory at the East Cleveland Classic – while Adam Howell leads the National Road Series after two rounds.
How has an outfit of half a dozen unpaid riders risen to rule a national series once populated by professional teams? The answer lies in canny recruitment, a savvy racing strategy, a tight-knit team culture, and a support network driven entirely by passion.
Canny recruitment: spotting tomorrow’s stars
Ask team manager Adam Ellis how a team with no wage bill keeps unearthing race-winners and he points to two guiding instincts: look where the others aren’t and back riders on the rise, not riders with résumés.
He says his first step each winter is simply listening, looking for “names that keep popping up”. He also credits the hands-on knowledge of sports director and Loughborough Performance Coach, Phill Maddocks: “Yeah, obviously I know a lot of the riders and I know what they’re doing and Phil’s always got his sort of ear to the ground on who’s doing what, where and when,” Ellis says.
That low-budget radar enabled the team to sign four of 2025’s breakthrough performers, all of whom joined at the beginning of the season.
Retention is as important as discovery. SRCT persuaded 2023 PB Performance Espoirs road race winner Will Truelove to stay despite zero salary by offering genuine leadership chances and an environment built on frank communication. Truelove’s performances have been outstanding this year, never finishing outside the top 5 until crashing out of the Rutland-Melton Classic in April.
By gambling on upward curves rather than glittering CVs, Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck turns overlooked riders into headline acts – and does so for the price of a few phone calls.
The £8,000 budget
Conventional wisdom says riders follow the money – but at Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck, there isn’t much money to follow. Ellis says the team’s entire cash budget is £8,000 for the year. Out of that shoestring, Ellis must pay for race entries, travel, fuel and more. “It’s really tight at the moment,” Ellis concedes, adding that he may have to dip into his own savings if late-season costs outrun the ledger.
Keeping the show on the road therefore means conjuring money from whatever assets the team can spare. A fresh shipment of Storck frames this spring created the next revenue stream: “Once the guys get them all built up we’ll have some old frames to sell as well… we’ll get a couple of grand,” he says.
Riders also shoulder part of the load. Before the season began, Ellis warned the riders that any international block would be “self-funded” unless results unlocked new income; early-season prize money is now financing a two-race swing in France, proof that collective success can literally pay the bills. It’s a gamble – “let’s go to France and see if we can double our money” is Ellis’ light-hearted rallying cry – but it illustrates the commitment all around. The athletes are effectively reinvesting their winnings to gain experience and expose themselves (and the team) on an international stage.
Why join a team with no salaries?
So why do talented cyclists sign up for a team that can’t pay wages? The answer lies in an atmosphere of honesty, opportunity and fun that Ellis and Maddocks have carefully cultivated. “Straight away, I’m always honest with the lads,” says Ellis. “We’ve built a reputation – we’ll do what we say we’re going to do, and we won’t promise anything we can’t deliver.” That transparency goes a long way. Riders know exactly what they’re getting: a well-run programme (despite the amateur budget), where their development and race goals come first. The team provides as much as it can – bikes, kit, equipment, nutrition – through generous product sponsors. And in return, the riders give their all on the bike, motivated by team spirit rather than paychecks.
“We try to do everything properly,” Ellis emphasises. The project was originally founded during the 2020 lockdown by British motorbike racing star Scott Redding, who applied a professional mindset from day one. Redding – a former MotoGP rider and World Superbike contender – didn’t want a vanity team; he wanted to develop young cyclists. He insisted that no rider should ever have to pay their own way. “Scott said it should all be provided if we can manage it,” Ellis recalls. That ethos, rare at the amateur level, set Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck apart. Even as cash ran short, they found ways to cover basics for the riders. (At one point the team even had a sponsored BMW support car thanks to Redding’s connections; when that deal ended, Ellis sold his personal van to buy a car so the show could go on.) Such sacrifices haven’t gone unnoticed by the riders, who repay the faith with loyalty and results.
The draw, it seems, is not financial but familial. “The communication within the team is great – the WhatsApp’s pinging every day with banter,” Ellis smiles. “It’s a fun atmosphere. We’re a group of friends as much as teammates.” That sense of belonging, coupled with the chance to lead races, has attracted riders who might otherwise have drifted out of the sport or sat on the bench elsewhere.
Strength in numbers
On the road, Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck’s calling card is teamwork. Rather than rely on a single star, the team uses its strength in numbers to dictate races. “We have a strong yet compact squad of six riders [Redding has been unable to do much racing so far this season], each capable of winning in their own right, but more importantly, each willing to sacrifice personal results for the team goal – a trait that is hard to find,” explains Maddocks. From the opening races of 2025, their tactic has been clear: ensure multiple pink-and-blue jerseys are in every decisive move at the sharp end of races.
“From the races so far, it’s clear that numbers in the decisive moves is our key strategy,” Maddocks says. In years past, a few dominant individuals – or a dominant team in Saint Piran’s case – might have decided domestic races single-handedly. But now, “with the current depth of the British field, there’s no single dominant rider, making strength in numbers at the front the defining factor”. By always having two or three riders in the lead group, SRCT can attack in waves and control the race tactically.
Maddocks points to April’s Danum Trophy as a textbook example. In that National A road race, SRCT got four of its riders into a late 12-man lead group – effectively securing numerical supremacy. “From there the race ‘restarts’, and again we fire riders off the front, ultimately Ed going solo, and the other riders then following chase moves and slowing the group down,” Maddocks recalls. With two team-mates disrupting any chase, lone leader Ed [Morgan] was able to stay clear. In fact, the team nearly swept the podium: “Think we finished 1st, 2nd, 4th and 7th from those efforts,” Maddocks notes matter-of-factly. All four of those riders had forgone personal chances to ensure one of them won – and it worked to perfection.
A similar scene played out at the East Cleveland Classic. There, SRCT again placed three riders in the decisive break of about a dozen. Eventually one SRCT and one Wheelbase rider broke away for the win, while “both teams’ team-mates then jumped on every counter move to ensure that group stayed away, essentially throwing away the podium chance for themselves in the process”. Such selflessness is now a hallmark of the team. Winning as a unit takes priority over individual glory – a somewhat old-school ethos that has delivered a haul of victories this season.
Crucially, SRCT’s racers execute these plans with discipline. According to team manager Adam Ellis, races are meticulously studied in advance. “We’ve really looked at the races and analysed what the key moments are, when the key breaks might go, and who the opposition leaders are,” he explains, crediting Maddocks for his tactical acumen. The approach at one marquee event, the Rapha Lincoln GP, was to conserve energy early and then flood the front when it mattered: “For Lincoln, for example, we didn’t really do anything for the first 90 minutes… then it really sort of kicked off – we managed to get three guys up there” in the finale. Even when that race didn’t yield a podium, the plan of mass presence nearly paid off; and 5th, 6th and 7th on the day was still an impressive return. The pattern is clear: SRCT aims to out-number and out-smart the competition when the decisive splits occur.
All for one
Behind the team’s tactical masterstrokes is a culture of trust and unity. Riders are fully committed to working for each other – a commitment nurtured by open communication and honest leadership. “I don’t believe there’s any secret to the team’s success,” Maddocks says. “The harmony between riders and staff can never be undervalued. I’m also a firm believer that success breeds success… once the ball is rolling, that confidence remains”. SRCT’s winning streak has only strengthened the bond in the squad, creating a virtuous circle of belief.
One way the team maintains its harmony is through candid post-race debriefs. Ellis has instituted a Monday night video call for all riders and staff after each race. “We sit there and talk about it… it’s a good hour where everyone debriefs their race,” he says. The twist is that anyone can speak up: no hierarchy, no hard feelings. “If you want to call each other out, now’s the time to do it,” Ellis explains. “I don’t want people talking behind backs – let’s have a good honest debrief, and then we’ll move forward to the next race”. Once any critiques are aired, the slate is wiped clean: “After this debrief we’re all friends again,” he adds. This level of transparency keeps the team cohesive and accountable. Mistakes are acknowledged openly, lessons are learned together, and grudges don’t fester. As Ellis puts it, “everyone’s learning, everyone wants to achieve… we’re definitely achieving more as a team than we were as individuals. So it’s working.”
Running on passion
If SRCT’s racers epitomise commitment on the bike, the same is true behind the scenes, where the team stretches every pound through in-kind support and volunteer labour.
Day-to-day, a small army of helpers keeps SRCT running smoothly. These aren’t paid staffers, but friends, family and enthusiastic supporters. “My wife helps out feeding at a few races,” mentions Ellis, almost in passing. One sponsor’s parents – who had never been involved in cycling before – have thrown themselves into the soigneur role, handing up bottles and cheering at events. “We like to do that… if we’ve got sponsors that come with the team, you know, you can get involved,” Ellis says, welcoming anyone willing to lend a hand. There’s even a Metropolitan Police officer, Harry, who spends his free weekends driving the team van to races. “He’s handy to have as well… a good little team supporting everyone,” Ellis notes appreciatively. As is the norm at this level, none of these people receive a paycheck – they give their time purely for love of the sport. “No one gets paid and that’s where we are,” Ellis says. “I think everyone realises that – they just enjoy the sport and enjoy being a part of it.”
Crucially, SRCT’s organisation mimics that of better-funded teams, even if all involved are volunteers. Unlike many domestic squads where one overburdened manager does everything, SRCT has a clear division of roles. Ellis oversees logistics and sponsor relations as the team manager, while Maddocks focuses on race planning and directing on the day. “Some other teams have managers doing the logistics, the sponsors, the riders, the race plans, timing plans… It’s an awful lot for a single person to complete by themselves,” notes Maddocks, who came on board as DS this year. With SRCT, having distinct staff roles means “each job role can be focused 100%, giving more time to plan each stage. For example, as DS, I will plan the weekend timings and race plans, whilst Adam is busy talking with sponsors, sorting logistics etc.,” Maddocks explains. This structure, rare at the amateur level, ensures no aspect of the team’s operation is neglected. The result is a well-oiled setup achieved on a volunteer basis – truly running on passion and dedication.
Continental ambitions
With SRCT’s dominance on home roads clear, the question naturally arises: what next? Could this band of amateur giant-killers take the leap to become a UCI Continental team in the future? Ellis has been pondering the idea – and the hurdles. In theory, stepping up to Continental level would allow the team into higher-profile races (like the Tour of Britain and UCI-ranked events in Europe), bringing valuable exposure. In practice, it all comes down to money. “I spoke to Scott [Redding] last week about if we can find the funding, can we go UCI… and I want to do that,” Ellis says. The irony, he believes, is that securing a major sponsor might actually be easier if the team were racing internationally. Big races mean TV time and media coverage – exactly what the current domestic scene lacks. “If you get into the Tour of Britain, if you get into some of the European stage races, we might get more exposure…and that’s more appealing to sponsors. So to find bigger money might be actually easier than trying to find £20,000 to run an elite team,” Ellis suggests.
It’s a tantalising prospect for a squad that has proven so much with so little. Ellis is confident that the pieces are in place, except for funding. “We’ve got the people to do it, we just can’t find a sponsor to help us along that path,” he says bluntly. A six-figure infusion – the kind needed to register as a Continental team – would allow SRCT to pay riders and staff something, and cover the bigger travel costs of a European race programme. It would also pose new questions: How big a roster would they need? Would they sign a raft of new talents, or stick to the tight unit that got them here? Ellis muses that even with UCI status, he’d keep the team fairly small and focused, both to stay sustainable and to avoid upsetting the competitive balance at home. “We could still… we’ve done a lot with the budget we’ve had, so we’ve kind of proved that. The next step would be running a Continental team,” he says, weighing the options. He even worries – half-seriously – that if only one British team went Continental, it could end up hoarding all the best domestic riders and “spoil the UK scene” by crushing the now-balanced amateur competition. It’s the kind of big-picture consideration that underscores Ellis’s thoughtful approach.
For now, the Continental dream remains just that – a dream on the horizon. The reality is that Britain’s best men’s team is an amateur outfit performing miracles on a budget smaller than some pros earn in a month. And everyone involved appears content to keep it going regardless of whether a sponsor comes along. “We’re just doing little steps at a time and see where it leads,” says Ellis of the future. Those little steps have already taken Muc-Off–SRCT–Storck to heights no one expected.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
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