The next category in the 2025 British Conti Awards celebrates the riders whose seasons felt like inflection points – the moments where raw potential solidified into something undeniable. Selecting just three names has been every bit as difficult as in the men’s category; the depth of emerging female talent this year has been immense. But after long discussion, our panel has settled on three riders whose 2025 campaigns stand apart.
Shortlist
Mari Porton (Handsling-Alba)
A first-year under-23 and one of the youngest riders in the Handsling-Alba setup, Mari Porton has undergone one of the most impressive year-on-year transformations in the women’s peloton. Team manager Bob Lyons recalls her early-season culture shock, lining up in Europe beside riders like Lotte Kopecky – “in awe”, intimidated, but determined to learn. Handsling-Alba worked patiently, building her confidence through “baby steps”, and the change has been dramatic. Porton grew stronger as the season progressed, taking a top ten at the National Circuit Race Championships, 6th at the Sheffield Grand Prix, and her first National Road Series podium with 3rd at the Curlew Cup. She then closed her season in style with victory at the Maria Thompson Memorial Road Race, the final round of the British Team Cup. Twelve months on from that wide-eyed European debut, Porton has become a completely different rider — assured, competitive, and one of the most exciting young prospects in the British women’s scene.
Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Noémie Thomson (DAS–Hutchinson)
Noémie Thomson’s rise in 2025 has been nothing short of astonishing. New to the sport and having never pinned on a number before this season, she won her very first road race – the Florrie Newbury Classic – riding for Southborough & District Wheelers, then announced herself on the national stage with 6th at the Rapha Lincoln GP on her National A debut, a result that earned her a mid-season move to Brother UK–OnForm. From there she accelerated at speed: sweeping up wins at the London Dynamo Road Race and the Ronde van Wymeswold – where she also claimed two of the three stages – before taking a superb 2nd overall at the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir, denied only in a two-up sprint with Robyn Clay. Signed shortly after by UCI Continental team DAS–Hutchinson, Thomson went on to secure her first National Road Series victory at the Witheridge Grand Prix and capped her breakout year with a remarkable 2nd place at the Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar, a UCI 1.Pro race. For a rider who began 2025 as a complete unknown, her trajectory has been extraordinary – a breakthrough season in every sense.
Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
Madeline Cooper (Spectra Racing)
In her first full season on the road, Madeline Cooper established herself as a constant threat across both the circuit and road scenes, beginning the year with Montezuma’s Eventrex before a mid-season move to Spectra Racing. She was one of the standout riders in the National Circuit Series, sprinting to 3rd at the Orbea Ilkley Women’s Grand Prix, taking 2nd behind Robyn Clay at the Guildford Town Centre Races, and securing three further top-ten finishes. But her breakthrough extended well beyond the crits. In May she stormed to victory in the BUCS Road Race Championshipswith a decisive late-climb attack, then backed it up by winning the East & West Midlands Road Race Championshipsto claim the regional title. Her rise continued with three top tens in the National Road Series – including superb 4th-place finishes at the Witheridge Grand Prix and the Curlew Cup – before closing out the year as a stagiaire with Handsling-Alba, the team she will join full-time in 2026. For a rider new to elite-level racing, Cooper’s 2025 has been nothing short of transformative.
Madeline Cooper (right). Image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
The next category in the 2025 British Conti Awards celebrates the riders whose seasons felt like inflection points – the moments where raw potential solidified into something undeniable. Selecting just three names has been every bit as difficult as in the men’s category; the depth of emerging female talent this year has been immense. But after long discussion, our panel has settled on three riders whose 2025 campaigns stand apart.
Shortlist
Mari Porton (Handsling-Alba)
A first-year under-23 and one of the youngest riders in the Handsling-Alba setup, Mari Porton has undergone one of the most impressive year-on-year transformations in the women’s peloton. Team manager Bob Lyons recalls her early-season culture shock, lining up in Europe beside riders like Lotte Kopecky – “in awe”, intimidated, but determined to learn. Handsling-Alba worked patiently, building her confidence through “baby steps”, and the change has been dramatic. Porton grew stronger as the season progressed, taking a top ten at the National Circuit Race Championships, 6th at the Sheffield Grand Prix, and her first National Road Series podium with 3rd at the Curlew Cup. She then closed her season in style with victory at the Maria Thompson Memorial Road Race, the final round of the British Team Cup. Twelve months on from that wide-eyed European debut, Porton has become a completely different rider — assured, competitive, and one of the most exciting young prospects in the British women’s scene.
Noémie Thomson (DAS–Hutchinson)
Noémie Thomson’s rise in 2025 has been nothing short of astonishing. New to the sport and having never pinned on a number before this season, she won her very first road race – the Florrie Newbury Classic – riding for Southborough & District Wheelers, then announced herself on the national stage with 6th at the Rapha Lincoln GP on her National A debut, a result that earned her a mid-season move to Brother UK–OnForm. From there she accelerated at speed: sweeping up wins at the London Dynamo Road Race and the Ronde van Wymeswold – where she also claimed two of the three stages – before taking a superb 2nd overall at the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir, denied only in a two-up sprint with Robyn Clay. Signed shortly after by UCI Continental team DAS–Hutchinson, Thomson went on to secure her first National Road Series victory at the Witheridge Grand Prix and capped her breakout year with a remarkable 2nd place at the Gran Premio Ciudad de Eibar, a UCI 1.Pro race. For a rider who began 2025 as a complete unknown, her trajectory has been extraordinary – a breakthrough season in every sense.
Madeline Cooper (Spectra Racing)
In her first full season on the road, Madeline Cooper established herself as a constant threat across both the circuit and road scenes, beginning the year with Montezuma’s Eventrex before a mid-season move to Spectra Racing. She was one of the standout riders in the National Circuit Series, sprinting to 3rd at the Orbea Ilkley Women’s Grand Prix, taking 2nd behind Robyn Clay at the Guildford Town Centre Races, and securing three further top-ten finishes. But her breakthrough extended well beyond the crits. In May she stormed to victory in the BUCS Road Race Championshipswith a decisive late-climb attack, then backed it up by winning the East & West Midlands Road Race Championshipsto claim the regional title. Her rise continued with three top tens in the National Road Series – including superb 4th-place finishes at the Witheridge Grand Prix and the Curlew Cup – before closing out the year as a stagiaire with Handsling-Alba, the team she will join full-time in 2026. For a rider new to elite-level racing, Cooper’s 2025 has been nothing short of transformative.
History
Last year, Lauren Dickson claimed the inaugural Breakthrough Rider of the Year – Female award after a season that transformed her from rising talent to established force
What’s Next
Three riders, three different stories – all marked by genuine progress in 2025.
The winner will be unveiled next week.
Read more
Breakthrough Rider of the Year -Male shortlist
International-Based Rider of the Year shortlist
Featured images: SWpix.com
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