UK junior cycling scene hit with 'devastating blow' as 'iconic' race axed from the calendar and replaced with new event

The Junior Tour of Wales, Britain's biggest junior men’s cycling race, has been axed from the domestic calendar by Beicio Cymru [Welsh Cycling] and replaced with the Ras Ieuenctid De Cymru.

No information was shared publicly within the wider domestic scene, including with Britain's junior teams, regarding the decision to cancel the event, with the Ras Ieuenctid De Cymru quietly added to the British Cycling online events calendar, along with GPS files of each of the planned stages.

When contacted by Cycling Weekly, Beicio Cymru said the new race was an "interim" measure while a "steering committee" assesses the long term future of the Junior Tour.

Since its inception in 1981, the Junior Tour quickly became the most prestigious junior race on British soil, attracting the best up and coming talent in the UK each year, as well as major elite development squads from across Europe - the list of winners includes Dan Martin, Hugh Carthy, Fred Wright, Tom Pidcock, Ben Tulett and Lewis Askey, all riders who have gone on to have careers in the WorldTour.

"The Junior Tour was founded on hard, varied stages that provided a real test at the end of the season, and the challenging parcours made it the only British junior race that professional teams have known and paid attention to in recent years," Ian Mansel-Thomas, Tofauti Everyone Active Majaco team principal, said.

"While we wish its replacement every success, we can't help but notice that its stage lengths and routes likely mean it won't be the selective, tough race the Junior Tour of Wales was. Success at the JTOW often helped riders forge professional careers and, sadly, in its current form, the Ras Ieuenctid seems unlikely to do the same."

Another 'nail in the coffin' of British road racing

Giles Pidcock, manager and director of the Fensham Howes-MAS Design-Cams junior squad, described the situation as a "devastating blow" to the sport’s "fragile" ecosystem at youth and junior level.

"Part of the reason why we've got 34 WorldTour pros at the moment is because of all the work that was done since the London Olympics in developing youth and junior racing," Pidcock said.

"At the top of that pile is the Junior Tour of Wales, it's the one event that all these kids aspire to ride because it's on challenging terrain, it's place to place, it’s got proper long climbs in it and without it is another nail in the coffin of British road racing on British soil. As a cycling community, we all need to put our shoulders to the wheel and do everything possible to get the Junior Tour back on the calendar."

In 2024, the race was forced into a last minute course alteration due to a handful of 20mph zones featuring in the 381 kilometre route. Despite the initial course containing just eleven kilometres of 20mph zones, organiser Richard Hopkins was forced into action after the collapse of a planned legal mitigation meant there was no other alternative.

Beicio Cymru would not comment on Monday regarding the makeup of their "steering committee" who will now manage the event, although it is understood that Hopkins is not part of it. When contacted, Hopkins told CW that it was essential the race's "uniqueness" was preserved moving forward.

He said: "The Junior Tour was built, evolved and has become internationally recognised, as an event designed to test the very best juniors - from all over the world, to their absolute limits to help the riders discover who they are, to introduce them to the styles of racing and tactics they will need to reach the very top of the sport, and to act as the recruitment tool their next teams will need to identify those with the deepest talent.

"The geography and even the order the stages take place in, are very deliberately planned. It is - or should be - part of an ecosystem that builds riders from youth level to junior - and then gives the very best of them the momentum to build a career as a bike rider."

'Regrettable' decision

In a statement on Monday evening, Beicio Cymru CEO Caroline Spanton said: "Despite our best efforts to provide ongoing support, engagement and clear communication, it’s regrettable that the Junior Tour of Wales will not be taking place as it has done previously.

"We greatly appreciate the dedication and hard work that has gone into the Junior Tour of Wales over many years, and we recognise its significance within the UK’s junior racing calendar. However, it is crucial that the highest standards of safety, organisation, and athlete welfare are prioritised to safeguard the event’s future.

"In a year where the absence of the Junior Tour could have left a major gap, Beicio Cymru is ensuring that a junior road race still takes place. Ras Ieuenctid De Cymru – Junior Race of South Wales is being delivered as an interim event, giving junior athletes continued access to high-quality racing opportunities while maintaining momentum for the discipline in Wales.

"The interim event is being developed by a small steering group of experienced road race organisers and volunteers, working in close collaboration with Beicio Cymru and British Cycling. This group includes some of the Welsh road racing community's current event organisers – all of whom are committed to ensuring a high-quality event takes place in 2025, while we work towards the long-term sustainability and return of the Junior Tour of Wales in 2026 and beyond."