We are really pleased to introduce Ian Mansel-Thomas as the latest of The British Continental’s 2026 journal contributors. Ian co-manages the junior super-team camsmajaco, and in his opening entry he examines how junior racing has come to resemble the WorldTour — and the rider-agent landgrab that now reaches under-16s.
Two weeks after grinding through the mist at Portsdown, 17-year-old Leon Atkins stood on the podium at the National Track Championships with his first senior medal around his neck. A 4:10.85 Individual Pursuit – quicker than Wiggins at the same age – offered another glimpse of a rider already straddling junior racing, a Lidl–Trek future and the long tradition of British pursuiting excellence.
New detail from camsmajaco co-manager Ian Mansell-Thomas reveals how the team’s INEOS partnership will operate in practice, why it replaces earlier WorldTour links, and what it means for junior men’s and women’s development.