Ineos Grenadiers launch Racing Academy development team in 2026 with roster of international prospects

Ineos Grenadiers will have a dedicated development team in 2026 with their own Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, which they announced alongside a full roster of future talents on Thursday.

Five of the new roster are British: Max Standen, Dylan Sage, Max Hinds, Mattie Dodd and Josh Charlton, with a wealth of international talent making up the remainder of the team: Theodor Storm (Denmark), Cameron Rogers, Fletcher Medway (Australia), Nicolas Milesi, Davide Frigo (Italy), Milkias Maekele (Eritrea), and Hugo Boucher (France).

“We have signed some exciting guys to the Racing Academy, and seeing all of them together for the first time, felt like I was stepping back 20 years,” said new director of racing for 2026, Geraint Thomas.

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“I could picture myself sitting where they are now, with the whole journey ahead of them. They’re young, keen and it’s brilliant to have them integrated with the WorldTour team.”

After finding riders through British Cycling pathways for several years, their latest development programme was a partnership with the German Continental team, Lotto-Kern-Haus-PSD Bank, which will close at the end of the year. Changing to an in-house development team brings the British squad in line with how almost all of the other top WorldTour teams have operated for the past few seasons, such as UAE Team Emirates-XRG, Visma-Lease a Bike and Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe.

The Academy will operate with a mirrored structure to the WorldTour squad, designed to “develop and inspire the next generation of INEOS Grenadiers,” while also “preparing young riders for the rigours of racing as a team at elite level,” read a team press release.

“The academy system played a major role in shaping my career. It taught me how to be a pro – looking after myself, staying healthy, being organised and preparing properly. All those simple habits and behaviours have stayed with me throughout my career,” added Thomas.

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“For me, the priority is helping young riders learn what it means to be a professional. Some are living away from home for the first time, some have moved across the world, so there’s a lot for them to take on. It’s about race-craft, understanding their bodies and managing their emotions, and not just hitting numbers. It’s the full package.”

The team will race at the Continental level, and with the featured group of rising under-23 prospects hoping to develop into WorldTour professionals in the coming years. While donning a similar orangey-red and white new jersey to the elite squad, which was revealed yesterday, the Academy will race with less controversial black bib shorts.