At the top end, Britain has never been better represented: in 2025, 50 riders – 32 men and 18 women – raced for WorldTour teams. On the men’s side, a further 20 riders competed at second-division ProTeam level.

The British riders often forgotten, though, are those racing at far below the WorldTour – without TV cameras, crowds or salaries – in UCI Continental and elite club teams. Why, you might ask, do they do it?

The racing is taken no less seriously at this level; just like their WorldTour counterparts, the riders train 20 hours a week, turn themselves inside-out to get faster, and travel long distances to UCI races – despite earning absolutely nothing.

There is no prize money to speak of, no coverage, barely even a results sheet that anyone reads. Few other sports have a tier where athletes live and train like full-time professionals without receiving any of the benefits. Cycling Weekly caught up with five British riders who choose this life of sheer devotion, racing for the pure love of it.

This article was published in Cycling Weekly magazine in January 2026. You can read the full article here.