Promethean Sports outlines plans for bigger 2026 after Raptor withdrawal
As Raptor Bikes redirects its backing toward a new £20,000 grassroots fund, the team it helped launch is already looking ahead. In an exclusive interview, co-manager David Streule outlines Promethean Sports’ plans for a new title sponsor, a deeper roster and a bigger 2026 programme — and takes aim at British Cycling’s lack of support for the domestic elite scene.
The team, known as Raptor Factory Racing, launched just a year ago, stepping into the void left by the closure of several UCI Continental squads with a promise of “quiet ambition” and a three-year plan for progression. But for the team’s management company, Promethean Sports, the news was anything but a shock.
I don’t think anything has massively changed
“I don’t think anything has massively changed,” co-manager David Streulesays calmly when we speak just hours after the news broke. “We definitely do have new partners to announce, but we want to do it in the right way.”
That composed tone sums up the current mood at Promethean Sports. While the headline might suggest upheaval — the end of an outfit that helped deliver victories through riders like Rowan Baker (at the Peaks 2 Day) and Dylan Hicks (at the Beaumont Trophy) – the reality is a managed transition: new sponsors, a bigger calendar, and an organisation quietly finding its feet in the demanding landscape of British elite racing.
A planned handover, not an emergency exit
Streule confirms that Promethean Sports is an “independent, incorporated entity” from Raptor, which allowed them to weather the change. He says the outcome had been on the cards for some time as they secured a larger backer.
“We always knew this was a possible result of the discussions we’ve been having,” he explains.
Dylan Hicks at the 2025 Rutland-Melton CiCLE Classic. Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
The sticking point for the departing partner, say Streule, was simple: “The reason it fell over is because you have a new title sponsor and they [Raptor] weren’t prepared to continue to make the contribution and not be the title sponsor.”
We’ve always been very, very open that whoever puts in the most support to the team has to have the right to name the team
Promethean’s philosophy on support is unambiguous and pragmatic: “We’ve always been very, very open that whoever puts in the most support to the team has to have the right to name the team. So it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for them – they could still be our bike supplier if they wanted to be, but they don’t want to be, and that’s fine.”
Streule confirms that a new title sponsor – an international company looking to enter the UK market – will take over for 2026. Formal announcements are expected in early December, once contracts are signed and branding is finalised.
“The next couple of weeks are about getting everything confirmed,” Streule says.
After thanking outgoing partners, the team will announce its new branding in early December, followed by confirmation of a ten-rider roster — up from eight in its debut season.
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
The team will also register as an Elite Development Team. Streule says that recruitment must now account for a demanding, multi-disciplinary calendar, which will incorporate the National Road Series, the National Circuit Series and a European programme.
Next year we’re targeting the National Road Series, the National Circuit Series, and twenty days of UCI racing
“We need riders who can perform in the Road Series, riders who can perform in the crits, and riders who can perform in UCI races,” he says. “They’re all very different, but that’s what makes a proper team. In 2025 we committed to the National Road Series and eight days of UCI racing. Next year we’re targeting the National Road Series, the National Circuit Series, and twenty days of UCI racing.”
The addition of the Crit Series is deeply strategic. “We understand how important it is for us to create media and stories around what we’re doing,” Streule explains. “Having onboard cameras in the crits creates really good footage and those short stories that people want to see.”
In the tough environment of domestic cycling, visibility is the currency of survival.
Continental dreams and the noise
The long-term goal to reach UCI Continental level remains, but Streule is candid about how that aspiration was used last season.
“Some of the noise about going up to Conti level was almost like trying to create the story and get people to come along, even though we knew we didn’t really have what we needed,” he admits.
“You’ve got to make some noise and that was the way to make the noise and hope that you could bring some partners along for the ride.”
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
While this ambition successfully “helped bring in some of the new partners we have for next year,” they are still “a way short of being able to move up at the moment.”
That realism is born of experience in the “really, really tough” world of domestic sponsorship.
“The value proposition is really, really difficult,” Streule contends, “because we just don’t have enough eyes on the sport at the domestic level.”
A plea to the governing body
Streule is adamant that the future of the scene requires more than just team-level initiative. It demands a shift in focus from the sport’s governing body.
British Cycling could, if they chose, concentrate more on the domestic elite racing scene rather than just a very high-performance Olympic-potential part of the pyramid
“British Cycling could, if they chose, concentrate more on the domestic elite racing scene rather than just a very high-performance Olympic-potential part of the pyramid,” he argues.
He believes the most impactful change would be getting National Series races “onto TV,” turning them into a visible, commercially viable asset.
“Once you have something that’s on TV and more eyes watch it, then you suddenly have something to offer potential sponsors.”
He notes that Promethean has tried to engage British Cycling “several times” about partnership support, but without success. Streule offers a novel, collaborative solution. When talking to prospective sponsors, he says, “they could almost pass the unsuccessful ones down to us because maybe we had something to offer those corporate sponsors or partners that British Cycling couldn’t. They could do a little bit more to help the teams.”
Streule also points out the disparity between the calibre of UK racing and its formal status.
“We’ve had riders going to UCI races abroad that aren’t as hard as the UK National Series,” he notes. “There’s no reason why the Lincoln Grand Prix couldn’t be a UCI 1.2.”
Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
This elevation, he says, would raise the level and ensure results are “actually noticed by teams higher up the ladder.”However, without British Cycling’s support, organisers cannot justify the increased cost and “onerous” work required for UCI registration, he says.
A collective effort
Despite the structural challenges, Streule sees genuine commitment from brands that are embedded in the scene.
He “highly commends” the work of Rapha for supporting grassroots efforts, noting their involvement with the Lincoln Grand Prix, the Rapha Super-League and Herne Hill.
I think more brands should be supporting domestic racing in that way. Honestly, it would make me buy Rapha over some other brand
“I think more brands should be supporting domestic racing in that way,” he says. “Honestly, it would make me buy Rapha over some other brand.”
He remains cautious on Raptor’s new initiative, the Collective Fund, stating he has “no idea what Raptor are really planning to offer,” but adds that any effort to inject “real financial support” into the ecosystem should be welcomed.
Looking ahead
For now, Promethean Sports is focusing on the known quantities. A new title sponsor is secured, the calendar is ambitious, and the roster is taking shape. The team will head into 2026 with the same measured, clear-eyed outlook that has defined its first season.
As Streule concludes, their aim is to explain to the public “how it will all work – and why these partnerships make sense for the team. It’s important for our funding, but it’s also about showing how a team like ours can grow sustainably.”
A year after its debut, Raptor Factory Racing – or whatever its new name may be – is quietly aiming to prove that stability is possible in British racing, even in a season of change.
When Raptor Bikes announced it was stepping away from team sponsorship to launch a £20,000 grassroots fund, it could easily have been read as another sign of instability in British road racing.
The team, known as Raptor Factory Racing, launched just a year ago, stepping into the void left by the closure of several UCI Continental squads with a promise of “quiet ambition” and a three-year plan for progression. But for the team’s management company, Promethean Sports, the news was anything but a shock.
“I don’t think anything has massively changed,” co-manager David Streule says calmly when we speak just hours after the news broke. “We definitely do have new partners to announce, but we want to do it in the right way.”
That composed tone sums up the current mood at Promethean Sports. While the headline might suggest upheaval — the end of an outfit that helped deliver victories through riders like Rowan Baker (at the Peaks 2 Day) and Dylan Hicks (at the Beaumont Trophy) – the reality is a managed transition: new sponsors, a bigger calendar, and an organisation quietly finding its feet in the demanding landscape of British elite racing.
A planned handover, not an emergency exit
Streule confirms that Promethean Sports is an “independent, incorporated entity” from Raptor, which allowed them to weather the change. He says the outcome had been on the cards for some time as they secured a larger backer.
“We always knew this was a possible result of the discussions we’ve been having,” he explains.
The sticking point for the departing partner, say Streule, was simple: “The reason it fell over is because you have a new title sponsor and they [Raptor] weren’t prepared to continue to make the contribution and not be the title sponsor.”
Promethean’s philosophy on support is unambiguous and pragmatic: “We’ve always been very, very open that whoever puts in the most support to the team has to have the right to name the team. So it’s kind of hard to feel sorry for them – they could still be our bike supplier if they wanted to be, but they don’t want to be, and that’s fine.”
Streule confirms that a new title sponsor – an international company looking to enter the UK market – will take over for 2026. Formal announcements are expected in early December, once contracts are signed and branding is finalised.
New scope, deeper roster
The new backing enables a substantial expansion, deepening the team’s commitment to providing a pathway for British talent — a mission the team first adopted following the collapse of the UK’s last professional Continental teams.
“The next couple of weeks are about getting everything confirmed,” Streule says.
After thanking outgoing partners, the team will announce its new branding in early December, followed by confirmation of a ten-rider roster — up from eight in its debut season.
The team will also register as an Elite Development Team. Streule says that recruitment must now account for a demanding, multi-disciplinary calendar, which will incorporate the National Road Series, the National Circuit Series and a European programme.
“We need riders who can perform in the Road Series, riders who can perform in the crits, and riders who can perform in UCI races,” he says. “They’re all very different, but that’s what makes a proper team. In 2025 we committed to the National Road Series and eight days of UCI racing. Next year we’re targeting the National Road Series, the National Circuit Series, and twenty days of UCI racing.”
The addition of the Crit Series is deeply strategic. “We understand how important it is for us to create media and stories around what we’re doing,” Streule explains. “Having onboard cameras in the crits creates really good footage and those short stories that people want to see.”
In the tough environment of domestic cycling, visibility is the currency of survival.
Continental dreams and the noise
The long-term goal to reach UCI Continental level remains, but Streule is candid about how that aspiration was used last season.
“Some of the noise about going up to Conti level was almost like trying to create the story and get people to come along, even though we knew we didn’t really have what we needed,” he admits.
“You’ve got to make some noise and that was the way to make the noise and hope that you could bring some partners along for the ride.”
While this ambition successfully “helped bring in some of the new partners we have for next year,” they are still “a way short of being able to move up at the moment.”
That realism is born of experience in the “really, really tough” world of domestic sponsorship.
“The value proposition is really, really difficult,” Streule contends, “because we just don’t have enough eyes on the sport at the domestic level.”
A plea to the governing body
Streule is adamant that the future of the scene requires more than just team-level initiative. It demands a shift in focus from the sport’s governing body.
“British Cycling could, if they chose, concentrate more on the domestic elite racing scene rather than just a very high-performance Olympic-potential part of the pyramid,” he argues.
He believes the most impactful change would be getting National Series races “onto TV,” turning them into a visible, commercially viable asset.
“Once you have something that’s on TV and more eyes watch it, then you suddenly have something to offer potential sponsors.”
He notes that Promethean has tried to engage British Cycling “several times” about partnership support, but without success. Streule offers a novel, collaborative solution. When talking to prospective sponsors, he says, “they could almost pass the unsuccessful ones down to us because maybe we had something to offer those corporate sponsors or partners that British Cycling couldn’t. They could do a little bit more to help the teams.”
Streule also points out the disparity between the calibre of UK racing and its formal status.
“We’ve had riders going to UCI races abroad that aren’t as hard as the UK National Series,” he notes. “There’s no reason why the Lincoln Grand Prix couldn’t be a UCI 1.2.”
This elevation, he says, would raise the level and ensure results are “actually noticed by teams higher up the ladder.”However, without British Cycling’s support, organisers cannot justify the increased cost and “onerous” work required for UCI registration, he says.
A collective effort
Despite the structural challenges, Streule sees genuine commitment from brands that are embedded in the scene.
He “highly commends” the work of Rapha for supporting grassroots efforts, noting their involvement with the Lincoln Grand Prix, the Rapha Super-League and Herne Hill.
“I think more brands should be supporting domestic racing in that way,” he says. “Honestly, it would make me buy Rapha over some other brand.”
He remains cautious on Raptor’s new initiative, the Collective Fund, stating he has “no idea what Raptor are really planning to offer,” but adds that any effort to inject “real financial support” into the ecosystem should be welcomed.
Looking ahead
For now, Promethean Sports is focusing on the known quantities. A new title sponsor is secured, the calendar is ambitious, and the roster is taking shape. The team will head into 2026 with the same measured, clear-eyed outlook that has defined its first season.
As Streule concludes, their aim is to explain to the public “how it will all work – and why these partnerships make sense for the team. It’s important for our funding, but it’s also about showing how a team like ours can grow sustainably.”
A year after its debut, Raptor Factory Racing – or whatever its new name may be – is quietly aiming to prove that stability is possible in British racing, even in a season of change.
Read the domestic team guide here.
Featured image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
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