Rebranded Nopinz RT names 2026 squad after rider departures and funding shift
A rebrand shaped by reality rather than reinvention: Nopinz RT’s 2026 squad reflects the pressures, progression and quiet resilience of Britain’s domestic road scene.
Nopinz RT will take to the startline in 2026 following a rebrand from Reflex Nopinz, a change driven as much by economic reality as sporting ambition. The new name marks the continuation of a long-running partnership with British clothing brand Nopinz, which has stepped up to remain involved after the loss of a key title sponsor.
“This isn’t a reset,” team manager Joe Reeves says. “Like most teams, we’ve struggled to secure financial support this year. We’ve lost a key title sponsor, but Nopinz have stepped up and remain a valuable sponsor for the team. Without that, we wouldn’t be here.”
The rebrand comes after a 2025 season in which Reflex Nopinz quietly established itself as one of the more productive domestic squads. Sam Walsham delivered multiple National B podiums and finished fourth overall at the Peaks Two Day, Joshua Horsfield was a consistent top-ten finisher at Nat B level and won a stage of the Sherpa Performance Stage Race. Samuel Nisbett underlined his U23 promise with second place at the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race, while Archie Peet won the BUCS Road Race Championships.
That success has also accelerated rider movement. Horsfield will step up to Cycling Sheffield in 2026, while Nisbett joins the new under-23 outfit Team Tactic U23. Walsham and Peet are also leaving the squad, although their destinations are yet to be confirmed.
“We’ve struggled because key riders are moving on to progress their ambitions – and that’s something we understand,” Reeves said. “That’s always been part of what we’re trying to do.”
Image: Mathew Wells/SWpix.com
Despite those departures, Nopinz RT will continue with an elite men’s national race team in 2026, consisting initially of nine riders, with capacity to support up to twelve across the season. The confirmed squad is revealed exclusively here:
Ben Millar
Matt Gilmour
Callum Orchard
Harvey Thomas
Jack Beveridge
Joe Reeves
Lui Pollastrone
Dom Horsfield
Tom Bowden
From the 2025 line-up, Millar, Bowden, Thomas, Beveridge and Pollastrone are retained alongside Reeves, while the departures of Walsham, Horsfield, Nisbett and Peet mark a clear generational shift. New additions including Gilmour, Orchard and Dom Horsfield point to a renewed emphasis on under-23 riders stepping into senior domestic racing.
Behind the scenes, there has also been a reshuffle in management, though the team insists its ethos remains intact. “The team will still be rider-led,” Reeves said. “The aim is the same as it’s always been – to provide a stepping stone for U23 and UK riders to reach their goals, whether that’s racing here or overseas.”
The wider structure of the programme is unchanged. Alongside the elite national squad, Nopinz RT will again operate a club and masters team, combining development opportunities for younger riders with continued support for masters riders performing at a high level.
On the road, the focus will remain firmly domestic: the U23 National Series, National A road races and criteriums, with a presence at selected National B events. There is also an intention to explore racing overseas where possible, “with the aim,” Reeves said, “of giving riders opportunities for UCI-level races in Europe.”
In a domestic scene where sustainability has become as important as results, Nopinz RT’s 2026 announcement reflects a familiar balancing act – managing ambition, opportunity and constraint in equal measure. The name may have changed, but the project’s purpose, and its place within the British development ecosystem, remains recognisably the same.
Nopinz RT will take to the startline in 2026 following a rebrand from Reflex Nopinz, a change driven as much by economic reality as sporting ambition. The new name marks the continuation of a long-running partnership with British clothing brand Nopinz, which has stepped up to remain involved after the loss of a key title sponsor.
“This isn’t a reset,” team manager Joe Reeves says. “Like most teams, we’ve struggled to secure financial support this year. We’ve lost a key title sponsor, but Nopinz have stepped up and remain a valuable sponsor for the team. Without that, we wouldn’t be here.”
The rebrand comes after a 2025 season in which Reflex Nopinz quietly established itself as one of the more productive domestic squads. Sam Walsham delivered multiple National B podiums and finished fourth overall at the Peaks Two Day, Joshua Horsfield was a consistent top-ten finisher at Nat B level and won a stage of the Sherpa Performance Stage Race. Samuel Nisbett underlined his U23 promise with second place at the PB Performance Espoirs Road Race, while Archie Peet won the BUCS Road Race Championships.
That success has also accelerated rider movement. Horsfield will step up to Cycling Sheffield in 2026, while Nisbett joins the new under-23 outfit Team Tactic U23. Walsham and Peet are also leaving the squad, although their destinations are yet to be confirmed.
“We’ve struggled because key riders are moving on to progress their ambitions – and that’s something we understand,” Reeves said. “That’s always been part of what we’re trying to do.”
Despite those departures, Nopinz RT will continue with an elite men’s national race team in 2026, consisting initially of nine riders, with capacity to support up to twelve across the season. The confirmed squad is revealed exclusively here:
From the 2025 line-up, Millar, Bowden, Thomas, Beveridge and Pollastrone are retained alongside Reeves, while the departures of Walsham, Horsfield, Nisbett and Peet mark a clear generational shift. New additions including Gilmour, Orchard and Dom Horsfield point to a renewed emphasis on under-23 riders stepping into senior domestic racing.
Behind the scenes, there has also been a reshuffle in management, though the team insists its ethos remains intact. “The team will still be rider-led,” Reeves said. “The aim is the same as it’s always been – to provide a stepping stone for U23 and UK riders to reach their goals, whether that’s racing here or overseas.”
The wider structure of the programme is unchanged. Alongside the elite national squad, Nopinz RT will again operate a club and masters team, combining development opportunities for younger riders with continued support for masters riders performing at a high level.
On the road, the focus will remain firmly domestic: the U23 National Series, National A road races and criteriums, with a presence at selected National B events. There is also an intention to explore racing overseas where possible, “with the aim,” Reeves said, “of giving riders opportunities for UCI-level races in Europe.”
In a domestic scene where sustainability has become as important as results, Nopinz RT’s 2026 announcement reflects a familiar balancing act – managing ambition, opportunity and constraint in equal measure. The name may have changed, but the project’s purpose, and its place within the British development ecosystem, remains recognisably the same.
Read the domestic team guide here.
Featured image: SWpix.com
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