Mercato, 8 October: 2025 junior champion Isaac to Smurfit Westrock, and FTP name all 15 for 2027
Smurfit Westrock sign 2025 junior national road race champion Ruby Isaac and keep Amelia Cebak and Lidia Cusack, and FTP name a 15-rider squad with Amy Henchoz joining Ruby Oakes. Ethan Hayter's move to Pinarello Q36.5 is confirmed, UV Aube swap one Briton for another, Claire Steels retires, and Harrogate Nova sign two juniors.
Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team have signed the 2025 junior national road race champion. Ruby Isaac steps up from camsmajaco to Rick Lister’s UCI Continental team for 2027, and Amelia Cebak and Lidia Cusack are both staying, which with Jo Tindley makes four riders confirmed there for next season. FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing have gone further and named all 15 of theirs, keeping Ruby Oakes and adding Amy Henchoz, so two of the top four in this year’s National Road Series will be riding for the same Elite Development Team.
Abroad, Ethan Hayter’s move to Pinarello Q36.5 is now official, UV Aube lose one Briton and gain another, and Claire Steels is retiring after three seasons with Movistar. Harrogate Nova have signed two juniors from Shibden Apex RT, Joe Shillabeer has a team again, and Zappi have a fifth rider for 2027.
Drop us a line at info@thebritishcontinental.co.uk if you have news you want us to add.
Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team now have four riders confirmed for 2027. Jo Tindley was the first, in our last edition, and since then Rick Lister’s team have kept two of their under-23s and signed the 2025 junior national road race champion. In January, Lister told us he had signed only one British rider for this season. His first new name for next season is British.
Ruby Isaac (camsmajaco to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 8 October). Isaac is 18 and won the junior national road race title in 2025, a result her coach Dean Downing called unexpected, because her strongest suit is sustained climbing. She rode for Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco last year and camsmajaco this, and spent the spring racing senior fields at the CiCLE Classic, the East Cleveland Classic and the London Academy Easter Road Race, where she was 19th. She first turned up in the cycling press at 10, when Trek-Segafredo took her on as a junior advocate.
She joins two riders who are staying, and who came the same way: both rode for Tofauti, the junior team that merged into camsmajaco. Lidia Cusack (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, staying, confirmed 7 October) is 19 and American, and raced for Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco as a junior in 2025 before joining Smurfit Westrock in June. She rode the Tour of Britain Women with them, and the United States picked her for the under-23 road race and time trial at the world championships in Montréal. Amelia Cebak (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, staying, confirmed 6 October) is 20 and joined the team in 2025 after two years at Tofauti Everyone Active. Second at the Dawlish Grand Prix in July was her best day this season, and she was fourth at the Tour of the Reservoir and seventh at the Lancaster Grand Prix.
Ruby Oakes. Image: Milan Josy/The British Continental
FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing named their whole squad on 6 October, and Billy Oliver talked us through it first. Ruby Oakes, third in the National Road Series, was the first rider he confirmed, and she is joined by Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October), fourth in the series, who had also spoken to UCI teams. Sannah Zaman (O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October) steps down from UCI Continental level for a programme built around the series. Rebecca Woodvine (Paralloy RT to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October), 20, follows Henchoz from the closing Paralloy team, and Rosie Wayland (unattached to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October), who rode for FTP from 2023 to 2025, comes back after a season away. The other 11 are staying, among them the national hill climb champion Rachel Galler. “I think the proudest thing for me this year is that we’ve managed to keep our team together,” Oliver said.
Arianne Holland (Handsling Alba Development Road Team, leaving, rider-announced 27 September). Holland is 27 and has ridden for the Scottish team since 2023, when it was still Alba Development Road Team. She has not said where she is going. This season she was fifth at the Tour of the Reservoir and ninth at the Lancaster Grand Prix, and last year she was second at the Scottish road race championships. The team itself will race as CAMS Alba next season.
Joe Shillabeer (unattached to Moonglu SpatzWear, with immediate effect, confirmed 5 October). Shillabeer is 24 and raced this season without a team, which did not stop him finishing third at the Otley Grand Prix in July and fourth at the Scottish road race championships in August. He rode for Spectra Racing in 2024 and 2025, and before that for Shibden-A.Fawcett Racing.
Zappi Racing Team have a fifth rider for 2027, after Ben Archer in our 25 September edition and Jody Mills, Thayer Ask and Otis Jones in the last one. Seb Zajaczkowski (Zappi Racing Team, staying, confirmed 8 October) is the second of the five to stay on rather than arrive, after Jones.
Britons abroad
UV Aube lose one Briton and gain another. Toby Barnes (UV Aube, leaving, confirmed 6 October) is 25 and came up through WiV SunGod and Spectra Racing before crossing to France. He was home in July long enough to win the Ilkley Grand Prix and finish second at Guildford. Alistair Gardner (ASPTT Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle to UV Aube, confirmed 6 October) arrives. Gardner is 20 and has raced in France since the middle of 2025, first at CC Etupes and this year at ASPTT Nancy. At the national championships in June he was ninth in the circuit race and 15th in the under-23 time trial.
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step to Pinarello Q36.5, confirmed 7 October). Daniel Benson reported this one in September, and it is now official. Pinarello Q36.5 lost Mark Donovan to Visma–Lease a Bike in our last edition, and now gain Hayter. He is 28, the national time trial champion for the last two years and road race champion in 2024, and he joins Tom Pidcock there.
Claire Steels (Movistar Team, retiring, rider-announced 5 October). Steels is 39 and from Bourne in Lincolnshire, and she came to road racing late. A self-confessed peanut butter addict, she won Rás na mBan in 2019, rode for Sopela and Israel Premier Tech Roland, and has spent the last three seasons in the WorldTour with Movistar. She was second in the national road race in 2023.
Juniors
Harrogate Nova Race Team, whose rider Harry Hudson won the junior world road race title in Rwanda last year, have signed two riders from Shibden Apex RT for 2027. Andrew Levinson (Shibden Apex RT to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 6 October) moves up from youth racing, where he rode as a Youth A this season. Arthur Sleightholm (Shibden Apex RT to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 7 October) followed a day later.
All of the above is on Mercato 2027, our tracker of transfers and rider moves, along with everything else we have confirmed. If you missed it, the last edition had three Britons signing for E. Leclerc Ruffec Top 16, George Kimber’s move to Team Bricquebec Cotentin and both camsmajaco junior squads.
Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team have signed the 2025 junior national road race champion. Ruby Isaac steps up from camsmajaco to Rick Lister’s UCI Continental team for 2027, and Amelia Cebak and Lidia Cusack are both staying, which with Jo Tindley makes four riders confirmed there for next season. FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing have gone further and named all 15 of theirs, keeping Ruby Oakes and adding Amy Henchoz, so two of the top four in this year’s National Road Series will be riding for the same Elite Development Team.
Abroad, Ethan Hayter’s move to Pinarello Q36.5 is now official, UV Aube lose one Briton and gain another, and Claire Steels is retiring after three seasons with Movistar. Harrogate Nova have signed two juniors from Shibden Apex RT, Joe Shillabeer has a team again, and Zappi have a fifth rider for 2027.
Drop us a line at info@thebritishcontinental.co.uk if you have news you want us to add.
Use code TBC10 at 4Endurance.co.uk for 10% off your order.
Domestic
Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team now have four riders confirmed for 2027. Jo Tindley was the first, in our last edition, and since then Rick Lister’s team have kept two of their under-23s and signed the 2025 junior national road race champion. In January, Lister told us he had signed only one British rider for this season. His first new name for next season is British.
Ruby Isaac (camsmajaco to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 8 October). Isaac is 18 and won the junior national road race title in 2025, a result her coach Dean Downing called unexpected, because her strongest suit is sustained climbing. She rode for Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco last year and camsmajaco this, and spent the spring racing senior fields at the CiCLE Classic, the East Cleveland Classic and the London Academy Easter Road Race, where she was 19th. She first turned up in the cycling press at 10, when Trek-Segafredo took her on as a junior advocate.
She joins two riders who are staying, and who came the same way: both rode for Tofauti, the junior team that merged into camsmajaco. Lidia Cusack (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, staying, confirmed 7 October) is 19 and American, and raced for Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco as a junior in 2025 before joining Smurfit Westrock in June. She rode the Tour of Britain Women with them, and the United States picked her for the under-23 road race and time trial at the world championships in Montréal. Amelia Cebak (Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, staying, confirmed 6 October) is 20 and joined the team in 2025 after two years at Tofauti Everyone Active. Second at the Dawlish Grand Prix in July was her best day this season, and she was fourth at the Tour of the Reservoir and seventh at the Lancaster Grand Prix.
FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing named their whole squad on 6 October, and Billy Oliver talked us through it first. Ruby Oakes, third in the National Road Series, was the first rider he confirmed, and she is joined by Amy Henchoz (Paralloy RT to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October), fourth in the series, who had also spoken to UCI teams. Sannah Zaman (O’Shea Red Chilli Bikes to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October) steps down from UCI Continental level for a programme built around the series. Rebecca Woodvine (Paralloy RT to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October), 20, follows Henchoz from the closing Paralloy team, and Rosie Wayland (unattached to FTP–Fulfil The Potential Racing, confirmed 6 October), who rode for FTP from 2023 to 2025, comes back after a season away. The other 11 are staying, among them the national hill climb champion Rachel Galler. “I think the proudest thing for me this year is that we’ve managed to keep our team together,” Oliver said.
Arianne Holland (Handsling Alba Development Road Team, leaving, rider-announced 27 September). Holland is 27 and has ridden for the Scottish team since 2023, when it was still Alba Development Road Team. She has not said where she is going. This season she was fifth at the Tour of the Reservoir and ninth at the Lancaster Grand Prix, and last year she was second at the Scottish road race championships. The team itself will race as CAMS Alba next season.
Joe Shillabeer (unattached to Moonglu SpatzWear, with immediate effect, confirmed 5 October). Shillabeer is 24 and raced this season without a team, which did not stop him finishing third at the Otley Grand Prix in July and fourth at the Scottish road race championships in August. He rode for Spectra Racing in 2024 and 2025, and before that for Shibden-A.Fawcett Racing.
Zappi Racing Team have a fifth rider for 2027, after Ben Archer in our 25 September edition and Jody Mills, Thayer Ask and Otis Jones in the last one. Seb Zajaczkowski (Zappi Racing Team, staying, confirmed 8 October) is the second of the five to stay on rather than arrive, after Jones.
Britons abroad
UV Aube lose one Briton and gain another. Toby Barnes (UV Aube, leaving, confirmed 6 October) is 25 and came up through WiV SunGod and Spectra Racing before crossing to France. He was home in July long enough to win the Ilkley Grand Prix and finish second at Guildford. Alistair Gardner (ASPTT Nancy Meurthe-et-Moselle to UV Aube, confirmed 6 October) arrives. Gardner is 20 and has raced in France since the middle of 2025, first at CC Etupes and this year at ASPTT Nancy. At the national championships in June he was ninth in the circuit race and 15th in the under-23 time trial.
Ethan Hayter (Soudal Quick-Step to Pinarello Q36.5, confirmed 7 October). Daniel Benson reported this one in September, and it is now official. Pinarello Q36.5 lost Mark Donovan to Visma–Lease a Bike in our last edition, and now gain Hayter. He is 28, the national time trial champion for the last two years and road race champion in 2024, and he joins Tom Pidcock there.
Claire Steels (Movistar Team, retiring, rider-announced 5 October). Steels is 39 and from Bourne in Lincolnshire, and she came to road racing late. A self-confessed peanut butter addict, she won Rás na mBan in 2019, rode for Sopela and Israel Premier Tech Roland, and has spent the last three seasons in the WorldTour with Movistar. She was second in the national road race in 2023.
Juniors
Harrogate Nova Race Team, whose rider Harry Hudson won the junior world road race title in Rwanda last year, have signed two riders from Shibden Apex RT for 2027. Andrew Levinson (Shibden Apex RT to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 6 October) moves up from youth racing, where he rode as a Youth A this season. Arthur Sleightholm (Shibden Apex RT to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 7 October) followed a day later.
All of the above is on Mercato 2027, our tracker of transfers and rider moves, along with everything else we have confirmed. If you missed it, the last edition had three Britons signing for E. Leclerc Ruffec Top 16, George Kimber’s move to Team Bricquebec Cotentin and both camsmajaco junior squads.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
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