'They’re young, keen and it’s brilliant to have them integrated with the WorldTour team' – Ineos Grenadiers launch development squad

Ineos Grenadiers have launched a development team for 2026, the Ineos Grenadiers Racing Academy, they announced on Friday.

12 riders, five of whom are British, will form part of the first cohort: Hugo Boucher, Josh Charlton, Mattie Dodd, Davide Frigo, Max Hinds, Milkias Maekele, Fletcher Medway, Nicolas Milesi, Dylan Sage, Max Standen, Cameron Rogers and Theodor Storm.

The team will ride at UCI Continental level, replacing the link with Germany's Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank – who were officially brought on board November 2024. The new Racing Academy will wear black shorts, rather than the controversial new 'light grey' donned by the WorldTour outfit.

The press release reads: "Created to develop and inspire the next generation of Ineos Grenadiers, the Racing Academy will nurture and develop riders who combine talent with the commitment and resilience to realise their full potential.

"The Racing Academy will provide a structured environment that mirrors the standards of the WorldTour - preparing young riders for the rigours of racing as a team at elite level."

Of the British riders, Charlton, 22, will be recognisable to Cycling Weekly readers, given he is a European and world champion in the individual pursuit. He will join fellow British track world champion Josh Tarling as an Ineos rider.

Hinds, 18, finished fourth behind Harry Hudson in the junior road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Kigali this year, and is also a medallist at the Junior World Track Championships. Sage, 18, came through Maindy Flyers club in Cardiff, and finished fifth at Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne Juniors.

Dodd, 21, meanwhile, joins from Austrian squad Tirol KTM Cycling, after a solid year of results, and Standen, 18, is a rider coming over from mountain biking.

There are five other nationalities: Italians Frigo, 18, younger brother of NSN Cycling rider Marco, and Milesi, who moves from Arkéa-B&B Hôtels, having finished third overall at the Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle Aquitaine this year.

Australians Medway, 18, and Rogers, 21, are also on the squad. Rogers is the nephew of former time trial world champion Michael Rogers, and spent two seasons with Lidl-Trek Future Racing.

Maekele, 20, from Eritrea, trained at the UCI African Cycling Centre in South Africa, and previously rode for Bike Aid, while Frenchman Boucher joins from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale's junior team, having finished in the top-10 at Liège-Bastogne-Liège Juniors.

Rounding out the team is Storm, 20, from Denmark, who joined Ineos Grenadiers' WorldTour squad in 2024. After spending some of 2024 "fighting for his life" after contracting a rare nervous condition, he is back on the team, having spent 2025 with Lotto Kern-Haus PSD Bank.

Geraint Thomas, the newly installed Ineos director of racing, said: "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.

"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.

"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. 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."