Noémie Thomson interview: from fourth cat to the world stage

Noémie Thomson must have felt like she was living life on fast forward this year, both on and off the bike. The 22-year-old rose from a fourth-category novice to the top of The British Continental National Road Race Rankings, a whirlwind six months reaching a crescendo in the form of a season-ending UCI .Pro podium.

Having dealt with everything from National B nerves to WorldTour opposition while redefining the meaning of a breakthrough season, the winds of change blew across more than just her life on the bike. Representing three teams in as many months, Thomson ended the year as a full-time athlete, giving up a highly sought-after graduate job in pursuit of the sport.

Life had slowed down enough by November for the 22-year-old to consider her meteoric rise, Thomson speaking to The British Continental to reveal the inside story of her journey in the sport so far, as well as looking ahead to 2026 – a season where her potential knows no limits as she returns for her first full campaign with DAS-Hutchinson.

“I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in constantly thinking about the next step without looking back at the journey.”

“Having an off-season over the last few weeks has really given me the time to process and reflect,” Thomson says, having hung up her wheels a few weeks earlier after the UCI Gravel World Championships. “I feel like it’s easy to get caught up in constantly thinking about the next step without looking back at the journey. And to look back now… it’s just been incredible,” she continues, the long pause not for effect, but for genuine thought.

“I beat the whole of the Human Powered Health team. It’s insane to think about,” she points out, still in near disbelief as the conversation immediately turns to her second place at the GP Eibar, a UCI .Pro race in the Basque Country – the crowning moment of Thomson’s short career thus far, and one of the most eye-catching performances in a season which saw almost unparalleled success for female domestic riders overseas.

“It was the best, but also one of the toughest days I’ve had on the bike,” she admits, the race still fresh enough in the memory for its brutality not to be erased by rose-tinted glasses. “I’ve never raced a course like it, never been up long climbs. I’ve never been on training camps or anything. And going down that last descent in the rain, I was a bit nervous, but I just tried not to overthink it and just trust my instincts,” she continues, putting her achievement into perspective.

Thomson’s admission demonstrates not only her inexperience, but also her seemingly unlimited potential. A former steeplechaser, the prodigiously talented 22-year-old has cleared every hurdle she has faced emphatically since taking up cycling last year, her bid to represent Great Britain at under-23 level on the 400m track having been ravaged by injury in her final year of university.

I feel I’m someone who learns well when you’re out of your comfort zone, so for me, going to those races, you just have to adapt, learn as much as you can and make the most of every opportunity

“I just try to take as much as I can from each race and put it into the next one,” she explains, qualifying her remarkable rise. “I feel I’m someone who learns well when you’re out of your comfort zone, so for me, going to those races, you just have to adapt, learn as much as you can and make the most of every opportunity.”

A fast learner, Thomson’s talent was never in doubt. Her first taste of competitive action came, like so many before her, in the form of a club time trial in 2024. The Southborough and District Wheelers rider made an instant impact in the Kent countryside, only revealing the extent of her immediate potential when pressed on the exact result.

“I came second overall to a guy on a Continental team, so I’d beaten most of the riders in the club in my first time trial,” she divulges, the “unique and supportive environment” that evening leading to her dabble in circuit races and cyclocross over the winter. “It wasn’t anything special, just for enjoyment,” she adds, keeping the results safely under wraps this time.

However, as the spring brought with it a new season, Thomson was eager to try her hand at road racing, feeling the longer duration and more varied terrain would play to her strengths. The issue was that she only held a fourth-category race licence, the one issued to all riders as they begin racing. “I felt like I had quite a good engine,” she understates, “but to do most road races you need to be category three and above, so I had to find crit races just to get the points.”

While Hog Hill may not naturally suit a gifted and powerful climber, Thomson’s engine made light work of the task in hand: consecutive Saturdays in April bringing a Regional C win, followed by an eyebrow-raising Regional A victory. “In both of them I ended up lapping the field,” she says with humility.

With the support of her club, Thomson, clad in a plain skinsuit, headed for the Florrie Newbury Classic at the end of the month. She would not only experience her first taste of road racing, but do so at National B level, the race doubling up as a round of the fiercely contested British Team Cup.

I just turned up, and I had no idea how it works, how the race bubble works

“When I got there, I was actually quite nervous because you see all the teams warming up. I just turned up, and I had no idea how it works, how the race bubble works,” she admits, showing little sign of nerves once the flag dropped – the advice and wisdom of London Academy manager, and now British Cycling Road Commission Chair, Sarah King paying dividends. “To end up winning that was quite a surprise. I felt quite strong on the day,” she explains, her penultimate-lap attack the beginning of a 100% National B record that remains intact today.

If the Florrie Newbury Classic was a step up for Thomson, her next assignment was another level again: the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. With its eight ascents of Michaelgate – a devilishly steep, narrow cobbled climb akin to those found in Belgium – the historic race has become Britain’s monument.

“I was able to do a pre-race ride with Sarah [King] and some of the London Academy riders before, which was also really helpful because when you turn up to Lincoln, you see all the Continental teams warming up together, and for my second road race it was quite a big one,” she reflects, a remarkable 6th place finish the end result.

To casual onlookers, Thomson looked every inch the seasoned professional at Lincoln, navigating perhaps Britain’s most technical National Road Series course with seeming ease, well positioned each time as the race headed into the iconic city centre. However, her next race, the Gralloch, a UCI gravel race in Scotland, saw her raw talent ignite one of the most audacious moves of the season.

I remember people saying the first climb was basically a 20-minute maximum effort. So I’m there preparing myself, and literally straight from the gun I do a 20-minute maximum effort and suddenly I’ve got this really big gap

“That was my first gravel race and it was the furthest I had ever cycled because I had never really done over 100km before,” she points out. “I remember people saying the first climb was basically a 20-minute maximum effort. So I’m there preparing myself, and literally straight from the gun I do a 20-minute maximum effort and suddenly I’ve got this really big gap and I managed to hold it,” she explains, the then club rider on the verge of pulling off a remarkable solo victory.

“[I was telling myself] just to keep going. You’d see people in front, men from the earlier race, and I just focused on getting to the next one, then the next one, and the next one. I tried not to think about how far I had left because at that point, it felt like it was never going to end. You’re suffering, but trying to stay focused.”

However, disaster would strike in the form of a mechanical with just 20km to go, her lead disappearing as the fast forward she had been stuck on transformed into painful slow motion as she came to a halt on the roadside. “I fixed it, it just took me so much time. I ended up drinking all my water, so when I got back on the bike, because it was quite a hot day, I had nothing to drink and started to struggle,” she explains, crossing the line in 7th. A standout result on paper, but a heroic one in reality.

Thomson’s rapid progress was not going unnoticed, attracting the attention of UCI Continental heavyweights DAS-Hutchinson. “I spoke to Simon [Howes, the manager of DAS-Hutchinson ed.] and Mark [Botteley, the manager of DAS-Hutchinson development squad Brother UK-OnForm]. The plan was to bridge across from being a club rider to hopefully joining DAS at some point,” she explains, her time under the tutelage of Botteley a short, but influential one. “I was only on the team for June really, but Mark was so supportive, and the girls on the team created such a positive atmosphere.”

Thomson describes her time riding for the Elite Development Team as the “right step” for her career, first dominating the Ronde van Wymeswold with two stage wins and the overall, before coming agonisingly close to a maiden National A victory at the Alexandra Tour of the Reservoir, where she matched the WorldTour-bound Robyn Clay pedal stroke for pedal stroke over the windswept moorlands, only to succumb to her future teammate in the final sprint.

“I can’t remember exactly when it was, but DAS-Hutchinson wanted me to join at the start of July,” Thomson recalls, the sport suddenly turning from a hobby to a serious vocation at breakneck speed. As such, the Londoner was faced with decisions that most riders come to contemplate after years in the sport, not weeks.

I decided to hand in my notice. It was very difficult because you’re giving up a stable career path I’d worked really hard for – the application process for those jobs is brutal and draining

“I decided to hand in my notice,” she declares, the upcoming opportunities to race abroad a tough proposition to balance with a demanding full-time job, the sport already eating into her annual leave. “It was very difficult because you’re giving up a stable career path I’d worked really hard for – the application process for those [graduate] jobs is brutal and draining,” she preaches to the already converted.

“Obviously I’m giving up a salary as well, but it was just really difficult balancing that full-time job with studying, because I was studying for a professional qualification on top of it, so you’re trying to train a lot, work full time, and study. You’d sometimes have to sacrifice sleep. It felt like the right time to leave my job and go all in on the cycling to see if I can make it.”

It felt like the right time to leave my job and go all in on the cycling to see if I can make it

If any doubts lingered about her decision, they were quickly erased. “I’d say it was the right move after the National Road Race,” she notes, her final race with Brother UK-OnForm perhaps her most impressive as she crossed the line in the second group on the road with the likes of Cat Ferguson and U23 World Time Trial Champion Zoe Bäcksted.

“It was quite an attritional race, and it got to a point where I looked around and there wasn’t really any Continental riders left in that group, just lots of people who I looked up to – WorldTour riders and the country’s best Continental riders – so I kind of felt I had the level to do well.”

Thomson’s tenure with her third team in as many months got off to a near-perfect start as she formed part of a squad that dominated the Guildford GP, before bringing home her first National A win at the Witheridge Grand Prix towards the end of July.

“The course, I think, suited me quite well, quite a grippy course with a decent amount of elevation, and it’s similar to the roads that I train on so I felt quite comfortable,” she reflects, following the plan her DS and coach, Olly Moors, set to the letter. “He started coaching me after the Lincoln GP. Before that I didn’t have a coach, but he’s just been exceptional,” she beams. “He’s given me so much guidance and help. I was basically a complete novice to now being able to compete with some of the best riders. He’s taught me so much about racing, the training, and also the mindset required to compete at the highest level.”

Thomson would continue her development as she raced overseas throughout the latter part of the summer with DAS-Hutchinson, her first experience of UCI racing in France a vital learning curve. “I remember my first UCI race in France, [La Picto-Charentaise], and it was just a real baptism of fire. There were cross-tailwinds and echelons forming, the whole day was a bit hectic, but you just adapt. It confirmed I want to race at that level and I do really enjoy tough, demanding races, and it filled me with motivation to keep going.”

I remember my first UCI race in France, [La Picto-Charentaise], and it was just a real baptism of fire. There were cross-tailwinds and echelons forming, the whole day

With her experience building, and her first UCI points coming in a high-quality edition of Kreiz Breizh Elites Dames, Thomson entered the GP Eibar with a newfound state of confidence. “Going into Eibar I knew that I could compete at that level. If I had a good day, I could get a decent result,” she states, bettering her ambitions with a gutsy solo ride for second place, rounding out her whirlwind road season with one final standout result.

“I’m just incredibly grateful to all the people that have helped me – a lot of people have really helped me be where I am today,” she emphasises as she continues to look back at her journey so far.

“I’ve learned so much and I’m really excited for next year. I’m going to do a proper winter build and hopefully it’ll mean next year I can have a really great year. I’m really enjoying where I am now,” she says with a smile.

Given Thomson’s meteoric rise, few would bet against her enjoying an even more successful 2026, a professional contract, rather than a category three licence, the goal.

Seeing riders like Lauren Dickson come to the sport in her 20s and make it within a short space of time, it makes me feel that you can still do that, you don’t have to come through the juniors and go straight into a WorldTour team

“Seeing riders like Lauren Dickson come to the sport in her 20s and make it within a short space of time, it makes me feel that you can still do that, you don’t have to come through the juniors and go straight into a WorldTour team, you can start it a bit later and still manage to get to that level as well,” she notes, the pair sharing a background in triathlon, which Thomson competed in until the age of 15.

“I was really inspired by London 2012 and my dream was to be a professional triathlete,” she reveals. “Although it’s a different sport, it would be incredible if I can fulfil that childhood dream.”

As it stands, few would bet against Thomson making her dream a reality. Having redefined a breakthrough season in just six months, 2026 could see her redefine domination in the sport, both in the UK and abroad, with Thomson having the potential to be one of the hottest properties in the sport.

Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com