Draft Racing have signed six riders from Nopinz RT for 2027, among them Lui Pollastrone and Joe Reeves, the co-managers who are stepping away as Nopinz closes its elite team at the end of the season. They are among 12 new riders in a men’s squad that grows from six to 18, while the Bristol team’s women’s side, led by the 2025 CiCLE Classic winner Lucy Harris, adds eight.
We have parted ways with KLM and as such don’t have a financial backer for the 2027 season
The team will do it without a sponsor. KLM Taxis, which became its first financial backer for 2026 and paid for entries, accommodation, and some logistics for the men’s squad, has gone. “We have parted ways with KLM and as such don’t have a financial backer for the 2027 season,” founder Charlie Parry told The British Continental. “The overall team has grown to around 70 riders.” The subs those riders pay will cover the team’s costs.
Draft raced for two seasons as Mud Dock Racing, named after the Bristol café and bike shop where Parry worked, before rebranding for 2026 with a team that puts enjoyment and balance ahead of results.
Alongside Pollastrone and Reeves, Tom Bowden, Harvey Thomas, Dan Burt, and Jamie Francis arrive from Nopinz. Will Mitchell joins from the Spanish team Equipo Finisher, Toby Coates from Pronto Bikes Race Team, Frank Kilsby from League-Fortè Chiropractic, and Reuben Trotter from 54/11 Coaching; Frank Schefer and Eli Tucker complete the intake. Will Jewitt, Will Deely, Tom Adby, and Adam Lightfoot stay from this year’s squad, along with Will Wilson and Alex Montero, who stepped up from the club team during the season. Ollie Cadin leaves, and Tom Ashcroft stays with the team but will race less.
I think they’re happy to take a bit of a backseat after Nopinz, although their experience will be valuable for us
“Lui and Joe are joining just as riders for the time being,” Parry said. “I think they’re happy to take a bit of a backseat after Nopinz, although their experience will be valuable for us.”
Of the rest of the Nopinz squad, Matt Gilmour has joined Stolen Goat 4Endurance and Josh Hall Aero CLCTV, while Jack Beveridge, Dom Horsfield, Ben Millar, and Callum Orchard have not yet announced their plans.
Parry said there would be no formal split between a national team and a club team in 2027. “We realised we had a need to expand in order to get more coverage at races,” he said, adding that the focus for the men “will be much more at a regional level”, in races such as the South League.
The women’s side is where he sees the most room to grow. “The women’s team is somewhere that we see stronger potential for growth, and have signed new riders who we think will develop into a really strong group, to complement the experienced riders we already have in Lucy, Niamh and Kim,” he said.
Harris, who joined from Smurfit Westrock Cycling Team last winter, was 5th at the National Hill Climb Championships in October. Niamh Murphy, who joined in April after two seasons at UCI Continental level, and Kim Baptista, who joined after the Rapha Lincoln Grand Prix, also stay, as do Isabel Wallace, Emily Jones, and Ruby Carleton. Ellen Inglis and Ellie Mitchinson join from Brother UK–Team OnForm, Libby Wallace from Liv CC–Halo Films, Clare Ablett from PDQ Property Elite, and Amy Cantelo from Nova Race Team; Jessica Bush, Zoe Bainbridge, and Elizabeth Chng also sign. Hayley Lenton leaves, and Kayleigh Parker, Belinda Humphries, and Ellie Hunter move to the club side.
The team plans to ride as many rounds of the National Road Series and the National Circuit Series as it can, and to take teams to both the men’s and women’s CiCLE Classic. Parry wants to keep doing the things it did well this year. “I think we were the only team to run a team car in both the men’s and women’s races at Lincoln this year,” he said. “Things like that are something we’re proud of and want to continue repeating into 2027.” The team has no plans to apply for Elite Development Team status.
Draft Racing in 2027
Men, in: Tom Bowden (Nopinz RT), Dan Burt (Nopinz RT), Toby Coates (Pronto Bikes Race Team), Jamie Francis (Nopinz RT), Frank Kilsby (League-Fortè Chiropractic), Will Mitchell (Equipo Finisher), Lui Pollastrone (Nopinz RT), Joe Reeves (Nopinz RT), Frank Schefer, Harvey Thomas (Nopinz RT), Reuben Trotter (54/11 Coaching), Eli Tucker
Men, re-signed: Tom Adby, Will Deely, Will Jewitt, Adam Lightfoot, Alex Montero, Will Wilson
Men, out: Ollie Cadin
Women, in: Clare Ablett (PDQ Property Elite), Zoe Bainbridge, Jessica Bush, Amy Cantelo (Nova Race Team), Elizabeth Chng, Ellen Inglis (Brother UK–Team OnForm), Ellie Mitchinson (Brother UK–Team OnForm), Libby Wallace (Liv CC–Halo Films)
Women, re-signed: Kim Baptista, Ruby Carleton, Lucy Harris, Emily Jones, Niamh Murphy, Isabel Wallace
Women, out: Hayley Lenton
Read the 2027 men’s and women’s domestic team guides, and follow every rider move on Mercato 2027.
