Mercato, 13 October: Smurfit Westrock sign Lee and O’Brien from DAS–Hutchinson, and Harrogate Nova name 10 for 2027
Smurfit Westrock take Lucy Lee and Aoife O’Brien from DAS–Hutchinson and add Maeve Gallagher and Raquel Queirós. Harrogate Nova name 10 juniors for 2027, Izzy Sharp stays at Alba, Leo Hayter re-signs with Modern Adventure, and James Knox has no team for next season.
Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team have signed two riders from DAS–Hutchinson in three days. Lucy Lee joined on 11 October and Aoife O’Brien followed on 13 October, making them the first of the closing Continental team’s 17 riders to confirm where they will race in 2027. With Maeve Gallagher and Portuguese rider Raquel Queirós also signing, Rick Lister’s team now have six new riders for next season.
Harrogate Nova Race Team have named their 10 juniors for 2027, half of them new, while Izzy Sharp stays with the Scottish team that becomes CAMS Alba. Abroad, Leo Hayter stays with Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, Farley Barber is retiring, William Brown is reported to be heading to Spain, and James Knox has no team for next season.
Drop us a line at info@thebritishcontinental.co.uk if you have news you want us to add.
Domestic
Lucy Lee (DAS–Hutchinson to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 11 October) is 28 and has spent five seasons in the DAS–Hutchinson set-up, initially with Hutchinson–Brother UK in 2022. This season she was second at the Guildford Women’s Grand Prix and Tour of the Reservoir, third at the Lancaster Grand Prix and seventh at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. In 2025 she won the Curlew Cup and was second at the Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prix.
Aoife O’Brien (DAS–Hutchinson to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 13 October) is 22 and Irish, and has ridden for DAS–Hutchinson for the past two seasons. She was second at the Sheffield Grand Prix in July. Announcing the signing, the team pointed to her stage win at this year’s Rás na mBan, following second place on the opening stage, and her ride at the 2024 road world championships in Zurich. She was fifth at the Irish national road race in both 2024 and 2025, and has also raced on the track for Ireland.
Maeve Gallagher (Castlebar CC to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 10 October) is 25 and Irish, and joins from the County Mayo club. Raquel Queirós (AtumGeneral/Tavira/MadreFruta to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 12 October) is 26 and Portuguese. She started this season with Team Farto–Kiroot before joining AtumGeneral/Tavira/MadreFruta in June.
They join Ruby Isaac and Maaike Brandwagt, whose signings featured in our last two editions, and three riders who are staying: Jo Tindley, Amelia Cebak and Lidia Cusack. The team will go into 2027 in the third year of its title sponsorship with Smurfit Westrock.
Izzy Sharp (Handsling Alba Development Road Team, staying, confirmed 13 October) is 21 and the first rider the Scottish team has confirmed for 2027, when it will race as CAMS Alba. She joined Alba this year from Lidl–Trek, which signed her to its WorldTeam on a three-year contract after a junior career that brought a win at Gent–Wevelgem and silver in the junior time trial at the 2023 world championships in Glasgow. She left a year early, after two seasons, and was Alba’s headline signing for 2026. This season she was fifth in the elite national time trial, sixth at the Ilkley Grand Prix and seventh at the City of London Nocturne. In 2025, still with Lidl–Trek, she was second at the national circuit championships. “I’m really looking forward to racing in a positive environment and building on a strong 2026,” she said.
Britons abroad
Leo Hayter (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, staying, confirmed 12 October) is 25 and has re-signed for a second season with the US ProTeam. He stepped away from racing in 2024 for his mental health, leaving INEOS Grenadiers that August, and was back on the bike by the following summer, when he won the Catalan time trial title. He joined Voster ATS Team in September 2025 and moved to Modern Adventure for this season, in which he was third in the stage 4 time trial at the Tour de Luxembourg. Last month, Cyclingnews reported that he had a WorldTour offer, but he has chosen to stay. His older brother Ethan’s move to Pinarello Q36.5 was in our 8 October edition.
Farley Barber (SCO Dijon, retiring, rider-announced 8 October) is 25. He came through Spirit Tifosi and Spirit Bontrager–BSS Rotor at home, then spent two and a half seasons with UC Cholet 49 in France before joining SCO Dijon midway through 2025.
William Brown (Shibden Apex RT to Natural Greatness–Rali–Ale, reported by Shibden Apex RT 10 October). Shibden say Brown is joining the Spanish team, one of the country’s leading under-23 squads, which is based in Alcoy and has yet to announce him. Brown is 18 and had a strong spring as a junior: he won the Hatherleigh Junior Road Race, the opening round of the Junior Open Road Series, from a six-rider break, and was second at the Junior CiCLE Classic later that month, beaten in the sprint by William Coles.
James Knox (Picnic PostNL, out of contract, reported by Cyclingnews 12 October) has no team for 2027 and is not sure he will find one. Knox is 30 and turns 31 next month. He spent eight seasons with Quick-Step before joining Picnic PostNL on a one-year deal for this season, and told Patrick Fletcher before Il Lombardia that he is “currently without anything for next year”. “I think it’s become a situation where it might be hard for me to get anything for next year,” he said. Nor did stepping down a level or two sound straightforward: “it might be hard to step down all the levels, to keep fighting, to come back, but yeah… let’s say for WorldTour and ProConti [ProTeam] it’s looking pretty hard.”
Juniors
Harrogate Nova Race Team have named a 10-rider junior squad for 2027, half of it new. Andrew Levinson, Arthur Sleightholm and Thomas Hutchinson featured in earlier editions. The other two newcomers are Daniel Minay (Team RL360 Isle of Man to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 10 October), who the team says finished second in the national rankings this year and rode well at the Assen Youth Tour, and Asher Gray (Team Ohten to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 9 October).
Five riders stay on: Alex Box, Finley Hudson, Alfie Nott, Archie Whittemore and Freddie Winkley (all confirmed 11 October). The squad graphic describes Harrogate Nova as associated with the NSN Development Team.
All of the confirmed and reported moves above are on Mercato 2027, our tracker of transfers and rider moves, and in our 2027 women’s team guide, which now also covers Solas Race Team. If you missed it, the last edition had Rebecca Gardiner’s four-year deal with Fenix–Premier Tech and Duckworth Motor Group–On Form’s first 11 riders.
Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team have signed two riders from DAS–Hutchinson in three days. Lucy Lee joined on 11 October and Aoife O’Brien followed on 13 October, making them the first of the closing Continental team’s 17 riders to confirm where they will race in 2027. With Maeve Gallagher and Portuguese rider Raquel Queirós also signing, Rick Lister’s team now have six new riders for next season.
Harrogate Nova Race Team have named their 10 juniors for 2027, half of them new, while Izzy Sharp stays with the Scottish team that becomes CAMS Alba. Abroad, Leo Hayter stays with Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, Farley Barber is retiring, William Brown is reported to be heading to Spain, and James Knox has no team for next season.
Drop us a line at info@thebritishcontinental.co.uk if you have news you want us to add.
Domestic
Lucy Lee (DAS–Hutchinson to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 11 October) is 28 and has spent five seasons in the DAS–Hutchinson set-up, initially with Hutchinson–Brother UK in 2022. This season she was second at the Guildford Women’s Grand Prix and Tour of the Reservoir, third at the Lancaster Grand Prix and seventh at the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix. In 2025 she won the Curlew Cup and was second at the Wentworth Woodhouse Grand Prix.
Aoife O’Brien (DAS–Hutchinson to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 13 October) is 22 and Irish, and has ridden for DAS–Hutchinson for the past two seasons. She was second at the Sheffield Grand Prix in July. Announcing the signing, the team pointed to her stage win at this year’s Rás na mBan, following second place on the opening stage, and her ride at the 2024 road world championships in Zurich. She was fifth at the Irish national road race in both 2024 and 2025, and has also raced on the track for Ireland.
Maeve Gallagher (Castlebar CC to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 10 October) is 25 and Irish, and joins from the County Mayo club. Raquel Queirós (AtumGeneral/Tavira/MadreFruta to Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team, confirmed 12 October) is 26 and Portuguese. She started this season with Team Farto–Kiroot before joining AtumGeneral/Tavira/MadreFruta in June.
They join Ruby Isaac and Maaike Brandwagt, whose signings featured in our last two editions, and three riders who are staying: Jo Tindley, Amelia Cebak and Lidia Cusack. The team will go into 2027 in the third year of its title sponsorship with Smurfit Westrock.
Izzy Sharp (Handsling Alba Development Road Team, staying, confirmed 13 October) is 21 and the first rider the Scottish team has confirmed for 2027, when it will race as CAMS Alba. She joined Alba this year from Lidl–Trek, which signed her to its WorldTeam on a three-year contract after a junior career that brought a win at Gent–Wevelgem and silver in the junior time trial at the 2023 world championships in Glasgow. She left a year early, after two seasons, and was Alba’s headline signing for 2026. This season she was fifth in the elite national time trial, sixth at the Ilkley Grand Prix and seventh at the City of London Nocturne. In 2025, still with Lidl–Trek, she was second at the national circuit championships. “I’m really looking forward to racing in a positive environment and building on a strong 2026,” she said.
Britons abroad
Leo Hayter (Modern Adventure Pro Cycling, staying, confirmed 12 October) is 25 and has re-signed for a second season with the US ProTeam. He stepped away from racing in 2024 for his mental health, leaving INEOS Grenadiers that August, and was back on the bike by the following summer, when he won the Catalan time trial title. He joined Voster ATS Team in September 2025 and moved to Modern Adventure for this season, in which he was third in the stage 4 time trial at the Tour de Luxembourg. Last month, Cyclingnews reported that he had a WorldTour offer, but he has chosen to stay. His older brother Ethan’s move to Pinarello Q36.5 was in our 8 October edition.
Farley Barber (SCO Dijon, retiring, rider-announced 8 October) is 25. He came through Spirit Tifosi and Spirit Bontrager–BSS Rotor at home, then spent two and a half seasons with UC Cholet 49 in France before joining SCO Dijon midway through 2025.
William Brown (Shibden Apex RT to Natural Greatness–Rali–Ale, reported by Shibden Apex RT 10 October). Shibden say Brown is joining the Spanish team, one of the country’s leading under-23 squads, which is based in Alcoy and has yet to announce him. Brown is 18 and had a strong spring as a junior: he won the Hatherleigh Junior Road Race, the opening round of the Junior Open Road Series, from a six-rider break, and was second at the Junior CiCLE Classic later that month, beaten in the sprint by William Coles.
James Knox (Picnic PostNL, out of contract, reported by Cyclingnews 12 October) has no team for 2027 and is not sure he will find one. Knox is 30 and turns 31 next month. He spent eight seasons with Quick-Step before joining Picnic PostNL on a one-year deal for this season, and told Patrick Fletcher before Il Lombardia that he is “currently without anything for next year”. “I think it’s become a situation where it might be hard for me to get anything for next year,” he said. Nor did stepping down a level or two sound straightforward: “it might be hard to step down all the levels, to keep fighting, to come back, but yeah… let’s say for WorldTour and ProConti [ProTeam] it’s looking pretty hard.”
Juniors
Harrogate Nova Race Team have named a 10-rider junior squad for 2027, half of it new. Andrew Levinson, Arthur Sleightholm and Thomas Hutchinson featured in earlier editions. The other two newcomers are Daniel Minay (Team RL360 Isle of Man to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 10 October), who the team says finished second in the national rankings this year and rode well at the Assen Youth Tour, and Asher Gray (Team Ohten to Harrogate Nova Race Team, confirmed 9 October).
Five riders stay on: Alex Box, Finley Hudson, Alfie Nott, Archie Whittemore and Freddie Winkley (all confirmed 11 October). The squad graphic describes Harrogate Nova as associated with the NSN Development Team.
Elsewhere among the juniors, Shibden Apex RT will close at the end of 2026. Grace Upshall and Lily-Ann Scott had already signed for Duckworth Motor Group–On Form.
All of the confirmed and reported moves above are on Mercato 2027, our tracker of transfers and rider moves, and in our 2027 women’s team guide, which now also covers Solas Race Team. If you missed it, the last edition had Rebecca Gardiner’s four-year deal with Fenix–Premier Tech and Duckworth Motor Group–On Form’s first 11 riders.
Featured image: Olly Hassell/SWpix.com
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