Prologue Racing expands with new under-23 squad for 2026
At a time when several long-established British teams have shut their doors, Yorkshire’s Prologue Racing is taking a different course — expanding its structure, launching a new U23 squad, and strengthening its development pathway.
At a moment when British road racing is losing some of its longest-standing teams, Prologue Racing Team is preparing for growth. The Harrogate-based outfit will enter 2026 with an expanded structure, a new under-23 squad, and a clear intention: to keep developing the young riders it has already invested so heavily in.
Prologue’s junior programme has been one of the quieter success stories of recent seasons. Four years old and already a consistent presence at UCI junior races across Europe, it has produced national wins, National Series podiums, and a cluster of resilient, tightly bonded riders.
We saw we had talented juniors in our team, but we didn’t have a clear pathway for them beyond the junior years
In the press release announcing the expansion, team manager Matt Mannakee summed up the gap they kept hitting: “We saw we had talented juniors in our team, but we didn’t have a clear pathway for them beyond the junior years.”
For years, the team would take riders through a structured junior calendar – domestic targets, European blocks, gradual exposure to bigger races – only to watch them leave as soon as they turned 19.
“We were doing the junior side well,” says assistant manager Rob Beagley. “They’d race UCI events, gain confidence, develop in the culture we’ve built… and then as soon as they hit under-23, they’d be gone. It didn’t make sense. So we asked: why not extend what already works? Why not give them continuity rather than a cliff edge?”
The first intake reflects that logic. Three riders step straight up from the junior team — Dan Kemp, James Beagley and Louis Herring — joined by national junior gravel champion Isaac Oliver, Harrogate Nova Race Team graduate Magnus Denwood, and Zack Miles from BCC’s junior team. They slot in alongside Prologue’s existing seniors, including road captain Liam Slinn, who will help ease the transition into harder, more volatile U23 races.
Image: supplied
“The U23 squad is essentially an extension of what we’ve already built,” Mannakee said in the release. “Most of our squad is Yorkshire-based, and many have grown up racing and training together. That camaraderie and team spirit is something you can’t manufacture.”
Prologue’s decision to expand comes against a difficult backdrop. With sponsors tightening budgets and teams folding, the question of financial sustainability is impossible to ignore.
“It’s been a tough year to secure support,” Beagley says plainly. “We’ve had to think differently about what sponsorship actually means. Social media exposure alone isn’t enough anymore.”
Instead, the team has pushed for more hands-on engagement: ride days with sponsor staff, opportunities to spend time at races, and time sitting in the team car.
“These are moments that give sponsors a genuine connection to the team,” Beagley explains. “It’s more tangible. It shows them the environment.” That approach has helped lock in several new partners for 2026, with a redesigned kit due to land once production timelines allow.
The new under-23 race programme mirrors the juniors’ model: core domestic commitments anchored by selective international races through contacts the team has built over the last four seasons.
We’ve already been offered a place at a UCI stage race in France. We’re talking about a couple more
“We’ll be in the U23 National Series, the National Road Series and the National Circuit Series,” Beagley says. “And thanks to the relationships we’ve built with European organisers, we’ve already been offered a place at a UCI stage race in France. We’re talking about a couple more.”
Elite Development Team status is also being explored as part of that progression.
“The aim is a calendar that stretches them without overwhelming them,” Beagley adds. “They’re young riders stepping into senior race environments for the first time. They need challenge, but they also need space.”
Image: supplied
Mannakee framed the team’s philosophy succinctly in the press release: “The key is creating a culture where riders can thrive, not just as athletes, but as people.
Beagley expands on that: “We’ve been deliberate about keeping pressure low, especially with juniors. We focus on learning and resilience. If a race doesn’t go well, we still take positives. With the U23s, we’ve gone further — we’ve said: this is your team. Tell us what races you want to target, and we’ll work around that.”
With a young U23 group stepping straight up from junior to senior racing, that approach feels particularly important. “They’re going to have some hard days,” he says. “We want to make sure the environment supports them through that.
Running both junior and U23 squads will inevitably increase the logistical burden, but Prologue’s model rests on its volunteer base — parents, helpers, and long-time supporters.
When you’ve got committed people around you, the expansion feels exciting rather than daunting
“We couldn’t do any of this without them,” Beagley says. “The planning, the travel, the organisation… it’s huge. But when you’ve got committed people around you, the expansion feels exciting rather than daunting.”
For Beagley, Prologue’s decision to grow is rooted in pragmatism rather than grand ambition. It is, at heart, an attempt to provide a stable pathway for Yorkshire riders already flourishing in its junior setup – an incremental strengthening of a model that has shown steady success.
“Retaining talent and offering continuity were the big drivers,” Beagley says. “We want riders to be able to keep progressing without having to jump into a completely new setup overnight.”
At a moment when British road racing is losing some of its longest-standing teams, Prologue Racing Team is preparing for growth. The Harrogate-based outfit will enter 2026 with an expanded structure, a new under-23 squad, and a clear intention: to keep developing the young riders it has already invested so heavily in.
Prologue’s junior programme has been one of the quieter success stories of recent seasons. Four years old and already a consistent presence at UCI junior races across Europe, it has produced national wins, National Series podiums, and a cluster of resilient, tightly bonded riders.
In the press release announcing the expansion, team manager Matt Mannakee summed up the gap they kept hitting: “We saw we had talented juniors in our team, but we didn’t have a clear pathway for them beyond the junior years.”
For years, the team would take riders through a structured junior calendar – domestic targets, European blocks, gradual exposure to bigger races – only to watch them leave as soon as they turned 19.
“We were doing the junior side well,” says assistant manager Rob Beagley. “They’d race UCI events, gain confidence, develop in the culture we’ve built… and then as soon as they hit under-23, they’d be gone. It didn’t make sense. So we asked: why not extend what already works? Why not give them continuity rather than a cliff edge?”
The first intake reflects that logic. Three riders step straight up from the junior team — Dan Kemp, James Beagley and Louis Herring — joined by national junior gravel champion Isaac Oliver, Harrogate Nova Race Team graduate Magnus Denwood, and Zack Miles from BCC’s junior team. They slot in alongside Prologue’s existing seniors, including road captain Liam Slinn, who will help ease the transition into harder, more volatile U23 races.
“The U23 squad is essentially an extension of what we’ve already built,” Mannakee said in the release. “Most of our squad is Yorkshire-based, and many have grown up racing and training together. That camaraderie and team spirit is something you can’t manufacture.”
Prologue’s decision to expand comes against a difficult backdrop. With sponsors tightening budgets and teams folding, the question of financial sustainability is impossible to ignore.
“It’s been a tough year to secure support,” Beagley says plainly. “We’ve had to think differently about what sponsorship actually means. Social media exposure alone isn’t enough anymore.”
Instead, the team has pushed for more hands-on engagement: ride days with sponsor staff, opportunities to spend time at races, and time sitting in the team car.
“These are moments that give sponsors a genuine connection to the team,” Beagley explains. “It’s more tangible. It shows them the environment.”
That approach has helped lock in several new partners for 2026, with a redesigned kit due to land once production timelines allow.
The new under-23 race programme mirrors the juniors’ model: core domestic commitments anchored by selective international races through contacts the team has built over the last four seasons.
“We’ll be in the U23 National Series, the National Road Series and the National Circuit Series,” Beagley says. “And thanks to the relationships we’ve built with European organisers, we’ve already been offered a place at a UCI stage race in France. We’re talking about a couple more.”
Elite Development Team status is also being explored as part of that progression.
“The aim is a calendar that stretches them without overwhelming them,” Beagley adds. “They’re young riders stepping into senior race environments for the first time. They need challenge, but they also need space.”
Mannakee framed the team’s philosophy succinctly in the press release: “The key is creating a culture where riders can thrive, not just as athletes, but as people.
Beagley expands on that: “We’ve been deliberate about keeping pressure low, especially with juniors. We focus on learning and resilience. If a race doesn’t go well, we still take positives. With the U23s, we’ve gone further — we’ve said: this is your team. Tell us what races you want to target, and we’ll work around that.”
With a young U23 group stepping straight up from junior to senior racing, that approach feels particularly important. “They’re going to have some hard days,” he says. “We want to make sure the environment supports them through that.
Running both junior and U23 squads will inevitably increase the logistical burden, but Prologue’s model rests on its volunteer base — parents, helpers, and long-time supporters.
“We couldn’t do any of this without them,” Beagley says. “The planning, the travel, the organisation… it’s huge. But when you’ve got committed people around you, the expansion feels exciting rather than daunting.”
For Beagley, Prologue’s decision to grow is rooted in pragmatism rather than grand ambition. It is, at heart, an attempt to provide a stable pathway for Yorkshire riders already flourishing in its junior setup – an incremental strengthening of a model that has shown steady success.
“Retaining talent and offering continuity were the big drivers,” Beagley says. “We want riders to be able to keep progressing without having to jump into a completely new setup overnight.”
Read the domestic guide here.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Share this:
Discover more from The British Continental
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.