Everything in its Right Place: James Hartley and his recipe for success
At 22 and racing far from home in Normandy, Rayner Foundation rider James Hartley has won three times in eight days—including a rare British win in the Coupe de France—and become a rider rival teams are told to mark. The secret, he says, lies in knowing exactly where he belongs.
Monday 1 June, Normandy. The Tour de la Manche finished yesterday. Five stages over four sweltering days; punchy climbs, countless attacks, exciting sprint finishes, and a short hilly individual time trial thrown in for good measure. Concluding on a testing finishing circuit in the coastal town of Granville, that would not have looked out of place in the Steve McQueen film Bullitt. The race was won by a British rider for only the second time in its 61-year history (after Chris Newton’s triumph in 2002). George Kimber (ESEG Douai) took the lead on the penultimate stage after launching a two-man escape with Ed Morgan (CC Villeneuve Saint-Germain). Despite the taxing finale, Kimber preserved his five-second lead for a famous win, whilst Morgan took a more than creditable 4th overall.
A lot of good things are happening
Today in Bricquebec, I am meeting another young British rider, who is making waves. As well as a swathe of top 10 finishes, 22-year-old Rayner Foundation-supported James Hartley (Team Bricquebec Cotentin) won three times in just eight days in May, most significantly in the French Cup one-day Caux Tour, near Rouen. This was a rare British victory in the Coupe de France, as well as being the team’s first success at this level. We sit down for coffee at the Normandy, a bar owned by the team’s sports director, Antoine Lecarpentier. It is market day, when you can buy anything from a variety of local cheeses to a mattress, or a live rabbit for the night’s pot. A copy of the local paper, La Presse de la Manche, sits open on our table. In his yellow jersey, George is smiling out at us. I ask James if he knows him.
Image: supplied by Team Bricquebec Cotentin
“Not very well,” says James. “I know he won the Rás, but I’ve only really known him since coming to France. I probably know George a lot better now after this, because we chatted during the race.”
Having finished 6th on Sunday’s stage and 9th overall, it was surprising to find James a little frustrated at the way things had panned out, but this made more sense when we recalled the 2025 race, when he took the win on both the opening and closing stages. Any sense of short-term disappointment would though be offset by James’ stellar season to date.
“A lot of good things are happening,” he says. “I actually started this season (on time). You know last year I had my visa issue and I didn’t start racing till about mid-April. And I feel like I’ve found a bit of form at the same time as I did last year, but because I’d missed so much early on last year, I was really keen to make a point.”
When I was doing the races I didn’t know, I was a bit more present because I had to focus on what was coming up instead of thinking I already knew what was going to happen.
The earlier opening to the season brought with it some new races, which proved to be beneficial. “I think that’s a bit of a blessing because when I was doing the races I didn’t know, I was a bit more present because I had to focus on what was coming up instead of thinking I already knew what was going to happen.”
Results came quickly, including a 2nd place to team-mate Maz Krazinski in the Grand Prix d’Yquelon. However, things really kicked on in mid-May. Taking place on a Thursday afternoon, the Caux Tour is part of an exclusive series in which the best amateur teams in France compete against each other for individual and team honours. James took a solo victory after he attacked his rivals from a small breakaway group on a testing uphill a few kilometres from the finish. It was sandwiched between wins in the Grand Prix de Plérin in the Côtes-d’Armor department of Brittany and in La Brione, a race on the team’s doorstep in la Manche.
The extent of the achievement in winning a round of the Coupe de France race was not lost on him. “Yeah, so there’s only really six road races and about half of them are all like, ridiculously mountainous,” meaning that the number of opportunities for non-pure climbers is small going on infinitesimal.
Image: supplied by Team Bricquebec Cotentin
I ask James to describe himself as a rider and his reply is telling. “We had a rider last year, who was really, really good at sprints. We knew if it was going to be a nailed-on sprint stage, he would win. Whereas I need perhaps a few more variables in the mix for me to be able to win.”
So, what are the ingredients of his success? Having a discernible identity as a rider seems an important factor. Watching races either in person or, as we are increasingly able to do, via the wonders of livestreaming, one is struck by the mix of keen race-craft, strength, and punchiness that characterises James’ style. His almost forensic knowledge of the previous day’s finishing circuit sheds some light on the first of these.
I saw the guys cornering and they were avoiding the huge amount of space. So, when I made my move at the bottom of the climb I used all of the parking space after the right-hander
“So, you go round a roundabout the wrong way so it’s third exit,” he tells me. “It’s a quick corner but you could do it no brakes, but you’d be taking a lot of risk. After that, it’s a right-hander, but then after the right-hander, there’s like a kerb that goes away and there’s a parking space in the left and through the first few laps, I saw the guys cornering and they were avoiding the huge amount of space. So, when I made my move at the bottom of the climb I used all of the parking space after the right-hander, because it’s there available to use.”
How important a part of a rider’s skillset is this? “Yeah, to me, noticing things like there’s more space on the road for you to use, it’s fairly simple. Like if you’re going around the corner and you can’t see that there’s more space for you to use, why would you not use it?” He goes on. “The higher up you go, there would be more people that notice that kind of thing. In terms of how to be a good bike rider, I think you just have to be aware of things like that.”
Image: supplied by Team Bricquebec Cotentin
It’s not just a mental skill, however. James says the ability to maintain awareness in the moment is in many ways related to your physical condition. “If you are just in the red and not concentrating enough on the surroundings, you won’t notice.”
Another element of James’ riding is his positioning in the group. To the onlooker, it seems he is mysteriously present only at the key points in a race, such as when the break of the day goes away. How conscious is he of this? “I just think why am I in this position and where else could I be that would be a better position? In a one-day like the Caux Tour, I don’t understand why you would purposely perhaps start or want to be at the back when a selection could be made at any point in time.”
Again, though, knowing where you want to be and having the physical strength to get there are two different things. This for James is where his punchiness is vital. “You need to be able to get that separation so you don’t drag the bunch with you.”
Brittany, Normandy, the west coast of France is pretty much perfect. If it’s naturally selective, that is good for me
Finding a place where the terrain and weather conditions complement your particular attributes is also important. He jokes about how differently things could have turned out had he gone to a team in the Basque Country before telling me that, “Brittany, Normandy, the west coast of France is pretty much perfect,” and more broadly that, “If it’s naturally selective, that is good for me.”
Equally, the environment within Team Bricquebec Cotentin is a valuable source of support. A core group of mostly French riders plus James have come together to ride the biggest races. Through their shared experiences of suffering and success (a number of his team-mates have also won this season), they have forged a bond of trust and friendship. James is all-in with the team ethic and is happy to be a diligent worker when the situation calls for it. It is also noticeable that he has become a popular presence with organisers and the media at pre-race sign-ons and podium ceremonies, his outgoing personality sometimes a contrast to the diffidence and awkwardness of some of the other young men.
Image: supplied by Team Bricquebec Cotentin
Antoine wanders across and the two discuss logistics for the forthcoming race, the four-stage Ronde de l’Oise in Picardy. Here they will be up against National 1 teams, but also many pro-tour development teams and some outsiders such as JAKROO Handsling from the UK. After Antoine goes back to the day job, James shows his appreciation. “I do really quite like the setup the team have. When I first came here, I was pretty apprehensive because I almost thought it was too much but I feel like I adapted to it quite quickly.”
It’s something of a shift for a young rider, even one who has raced at a good level in the UK, to have a professional set-up and support network behind them, as is living and performing far from home. “Moving to a different country. I guess it’s akin to going to university in a different city, but only for me it’s riding my bike in France, but I just feel extremely grateful to the team.”
Looking forward, success brings its own challenges. For example, perspectives within the team have changed. “Yeah, I think there’s a bit more pressure, obviously. The team have a bit more expectation of me. So, yes, it’s different. I’m a bit more of a leader on the team now, because the team knows I can win.”
George Kimber told me he was told that if you’re in a race with Hartley, watch Hartley. Now that I think about it, every race I have done with George, he has always been with me
Equally, the name Hartley (or ‘Artley’, as it is pronounced by the French) now has a resonance with opponents. “It is different in that sense as well, because my name probably crops up a bit more in other teams’ briefs. George Kimber told me he was told that if you’re in a race with Hartley, watch Hartley. Now that I think about it, every race I have done with George, he has always been with me. So, I guess he’s doing his job as well.”
Image: supplied by Team Bricquebec Cotentin
How does James feel about the practice of name-checking opponents? “It’s always a bit strange to me that DSs actually say follow this rider as a tactic, because you wouldn’t want that team’s race to be dictated by just that rider. So that was a bit of a change when I got told to follow certain riders.” He is now, though, the someone to be followed; how is that? “Yeah, it’s strange to me now that I’m probably one of the names.”
By now morning had bled into early afternoon. The hubbub of market day was diminishing, and it was time for James to ride home and rest before gearing up for the next race. Looking around at the medieval castle which dominates the town, he seemed a young man very much at peace with his surroundings.
I think the main thing for you to be in life is just happy and if you’re content within yourself you don’t have to worry about what other people think of you
“I think in life I’ve noticed a lot of the world now they want they always want more. Everybody wants well most people want the next car or the next phone and things like that but I think the main thing for you to be in life is just happy and if you’re content within yourself you don’t have to worry about what other people think of you and at this moment in time I’m extremely happy and content within myself.”
As we take a few last photographs in the castle grounds, he tells us he is “extremely comfortable” in his own skin. We capture the final image and James jumps on his bike. He begins to slalom his way between the remaining market stalls on his way out of town. Everything is in its right place, and he looks very much like the kid he had once been, riding a Raleigh Striker around his parents’ garden in Sheffield.
Featured image: supplied by Team Bricquebec Cotentin
Monday 1 June, Normandy. The Tour de la Manche finished yesterday. Five stages over four sweltering days; punchy climbs, countless attacks, exciting sprint finishes, and a short hilly individual time trial thrown in for good measure. Concluding on a testing finishing circuit in the coastal town of Granville, that would not have looked out of place in the Steve McQueen film Bullitt. The race was won by a British rider for only the second time in its 61-year history (after Chris Newton’s triumph in 2002). George Kimber (ESEG Douai) took the lead on the penultimate stage after launching a two-man escape with Ed Morgan (CC Villeneuve Saint-Germain). Despite the taxing finale, Kimber preserved his five-second lead for a famous win, whilst Morgan took a more than creditable 4th overall.
Today in Bricquebec, I am meeting another young British rider, who is making waves. As well as a swathe of top 10 finishes, 22-year-old Rayner Foundation-supported James Hartley (Team Bricquebec Cotentin) won three times in just eight days in May, most significantly in the French Cup one-day Caux Tour, near Rouen. This was a rare British victory in the Coupe de France, as well as being the team’s first success at this level. We sit down for coffee at the Normandy, a bar owned by the team’s sports director, Antoine Lecarpentier. It is market day, when you can buy anything from a variety of local cheeses to a mattress, or a live rabbit for the night’s pot. A copy of the local paper, La Presse de la Manche, sits open on our table. In his yellow jersey, George is smiling out at us. I ask James if he knows him.
“Not very well,” says James. “I know he won the Rás, but I’ve only really known him since coming to France. I probably know George a lot better now after this, because we chatted during the race.”
Having finished 6th on Sunday’s stage and 9th overall, it was surprising to find James a little frustrated at the way things had panned out, but this made more sense when we recalled the 2025 race, when he took the win on both the opening and closing stages. Any sense of short-term disappointment would though be offset by James’ stellar season to date.
“A lot of good things are happening,” he says. “I actually started this season (on time). You know last year I had my visa issue and I didn’t start racing till about mid-April. And I feel like I’ve found a bit of form at the same time as I did last year, but because I’d missed so much early on last year, I was really keen to make a point.”
The earlier opening to the season brought with it some new races, which proved to be beneficial. “I think that’s a bit of a blessing because when I was doing the races I didn’t know, I was a bit more present because I had to focus on what was coming up instead of thinking I already knew what was going to happen.”
Results came quickly, including a 2nd place to team-mate Maz Krazinski in the Grand Prix d’Yquelon. However, things really kicked on in mid-May. Taking place on a Thursday afternoon, the Caux Tour is part of an exclusive series in which the best amateur teams in France compete against each other for individual and team honours. James took a solo victory after he attacked his rivals from a small breakaway group on a testing uphill a few kilometres from the finish. It was sandwiched between wins in the Grand Prix de Plérin in the Côtes-d’Armor department of Brittany and in La Brione, a race on the team’s doorstep in la Manche.
The extent of the achievement in winning a round of the Coupe de France race was not lost on him. “Yeah, so there’s only really six road races and about half of them are all like, ridiculously mountainous,” meaning that the number of opportunities for non-pure climbers is small going on infinitesimal.
I ask James to describe himself as a rider and his reply is telling. “We had a rider last year, who was really, really good at sprints. We knew if it was going to be a nailed-on sprint stage, he would win. Whereas I need perhaps a few more variables in the mix for me to be able to win.”
So, what are the ingredients of his success? Having a discernible identity as a rider seems an important factor. Watching races either in person or, as we are increasingly able to do, via the wonders of livestreaming, one is struck by the mix of keen race-craft, strength, and punchiness that characterises James’ style. His almost forensic knowledge of the previous day’s finishing circuit sheds some light on the first of these.
“So, you go round a roundabout the wrong way so it’s third exit,” he tells me. “It’s a quick corner but you could do it no brakes, but you’d be taking a lot of risk. After that, it’s a right-hander, but then after the right-hander, there’s like a kerb that goes away and there’s a parking space in the left and through the first few laps, I saw the guys cornering and they were avoiding the huge amount of space. So, when I made my move at the bottom of the climb I used all of the parking space after the right-hander, because it’s there available to use.”
How important a part of a rider’s skillset is this? “Yeah, to me, noticing things like there’s more space on the road for you to use, it’s fairly simple. Like if you’re going around the corner and you can’t see that there’s more space for you to use, why would you not use it?” He goes on. “The higher up you go, there would be more people that notice that kind of thing. In terms of how to be a good bike rider, I think you just have to be aware of things like that.”
It’s not just a mental skill, however. James says the ability to maintain awareness in the moment is in many ways related to your physical condition. “If you are just in the red and not concentrating enough on the surroundings, you won’t notice.”
Another element of James’ riding is his positioning in the group. To the onlooker, it seems he is mysteriously present only at the key points in a race, such as when the break of the day goes away. How conscious is he of this? “I just think why am I in this position and where else could I be that would be a better position? In a one-day like the Caux Tour, I don’t understand why you would purposely perhaps start or want to be at the back when a selection could be made at any point in time.”
Again, though, knowing where you want to be and having the physical strength to get there are two different things. This for James is where his punchiness is vital. “You need to be able to get that separation so you don’t drag the bunch with you.”
Finding a place where the terrain and weather conditions complement your particular attributes is also important. He jokes about how differently things could have turned out had he gone to a team in the Basque Country before telling me that, “Brittany, Normandy, the west coast of France is pretty much perfect,” and more broadly that, “If it’s naturally selective, that is good for me.”
Equally, the environment within Team Bricquebec Cotentin is a valuable source of support. A core group of mostly French riders plus James have come together to ride the biggest races. Through their shared experiences of suffering and success (a number of his team-mates have also won this season), they have forged a bond of trust and friendship. James is all-in with the team ethic and is happy to be a diligent worker when the situation calls for it. It is also noticeable that he has become a popular presence with organisers and the media at pre-race sign-ons and podium ceremonies, his outgoing personality sometimes a contrast to the diffidence and awkwardness of some of the other young men.
Antoine wanders across and the two discuss logistics for the forthcoming race, the four-stage Ronde de l’Oise in Picardy. Here they will be up against National 1 teams, but also many pro-tour development teams and some outsiders such as JAKROO Handsling from the UK. After Antoine goes back to the day job, James shows his appreciation. “I do really quite like the setup the team have. When I first came here, I was pretty apprehensive because I almost thought it was too much but I feel like I adapted to it quite quickly.”
It’s something of a shift for a young rider, even one who has raced at a good level in the UK, to have a professional set-up and support network behind them, as is living and performing far from home. “Moving to a different country. I guess it’s akin to going to university in a different city, but only for me it’s riding my bike in France, but I just feel extremely grateful to the team.”
Looking forward, success brings its own challenges. For example, perspectives within the team have changed. “Yeah, I think there’s a bit more pressure, obviously. The team have a bit more expectation of me. So, yes, it’s different. I’m a bit more of a leader on the team now, because the team knows I can win.”
Equally, the name Hartley (or ‘Artley’, as it is pronounced by the French) now has a resonance with opponents. “It is different in that sense as well, because my name probably crops up a bit more in other teams’ briefs. George Kimber told me he was told that if you’re in a race with Hartley, watch Hartley. Now that I think about it, every race I have done with George, he has always been with me. So, I guess he’s doing his job as well.”
How does James feel about the practice of name-checking opponents? “It’s always a bit strange to me that DSs actually say follow this rider as a tactic, because you wouldn’t want that team’s race to be dictated by just that rider. So that was a bit of a change when I got told to follow certain riders.” He is now, though, the someone to be followed; how is that? “Yeah, it’s strange to me now that I’m probably one of the names.”
By now morning had bled into early afternoon. The hubbub of market day was diminishing, and it was time for James to ride home and rest before gearing up for the next race. Looking around at the medieval castle which dominates the town, he seemed a young man very much at peace with his surroundings.
“I think in life I’ve noticed a lot of the world now they want they always want more. Everybody wants well most people want the next car or the next phone and things like that but I think the main thing for you to be in life is just happy and if you’re content within yourself you don’t have to worry about what other people think of you and at this moment in time I’m extremely happy and content within myself.”
As we take a few last photographs in the castle grounds, he tells us he is “extremely comfortable” in his own skin. We capture the final image and James jumps on his bike. He begins to slalom his way between the remaining market stalls on his way out of town. Everything is in its right place, and he looks very much like the kid he had once been, riding a Raleigh Striker around his parents’ garden in Sheffield.
Featured image: supplied by Team Bricquebec Cotentin
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