Injury and illness stalled Joe’s meteoric rise in 2017. Having become the youngest ever winner of the Tour of the Reservoir in the colours of Pedal Heaven in 2016, the former national junior track champion was sidelined until May. He went on to make six appearances in UCI contests, finishing 40th in the Velothon Wales and helping the squad to seventh place in the team time trial at Ronde van Midden Nederland. He was also 18th on the opening stage of his Tour of the Reservoir defence. Joe’s impressive junior career on the road and in the velodrome also featured 10th place at the Paris-Roubaix Juniors. As a first-year professional, he was seventh in the national under-23 time trial championship, aged just 19, finished third in the Bristol Grand Prix and made his debut in both the Tour de Yorkshire and An Post Ras.

Dexter was one of the stand-out performers in a memorable debut season for the team. He was fourth in the Chorley Grand Prix, having finished third 12 months earlier. And then clinched the most combative rider jersey on stage three of the Tour de Yorkshire after finishing second in the mountains classification. A couple of top-10s in his second An Post Ras followed up his fourth place on the opening stage in 2016. Dexter was 16th in the national road race (11th in 2016) and then produced a superb Grand Prix Series campaign, coming within a whisker of the overall title having placed fourth in the Tour of the Reservoir, fifth in the Ryedale Grand Prix and seventh in the Leicester Castle Classic. He capped his season with a debut in the Tour of Britain. The former Pedal Heaven rider won Duo Normand as a junior before making his UCI debut in 2011.

In his own words, 2017 was the finest campaign of Hank’s career to date. Gutsy displays in the Tour of the Wolds and Tour de Yorkshire were franked by a brilliant Tour Series performance. He racked up one third place, three fourths, a total of six top-10s and only finished lower than 13th in Durham when his race was beset with bad luck. Following a short break, Hank returned to help Dexter Gardias to second place in the Grand Prix Series. He then signed off the campaign as part of the four-man team which dominated the Tour of Quanzhou Bay, won by Max Stedman. The Cotswolds star boasts three appearances at both the Tour de Yorkshire and Tour of Britain. His tireless work ethic has seen him help Marcin Bialoblocki to An Post Ras glory and Adam Blythe to RideLondon Classic victory.

By his own admission, Matt came of age in 2017. His first year in the professional ranks was a steep learning curve but he quickly began to feel at home. He raced 10 times at UCI level after making his debut in a gruelling Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic. His best finished came in the Midden Brabant-Poort Omloop when placing 23rd as Rory Townsend sprinted to second. Graduating from Sheffield Hallam University in the summer, he went on to finish ninth in both the Skipton Grand Prix and Ilkley Cycle Race. Matt successfully defended the Capernwray Road Race crown he won in a sprint from Ian Bibby and Jack Pullar in 2016. He made his mark as the best-placed guest rider in the Tour Series in 2016. But after looking forward to the unique crit competition’s return, he was left frustrated by bad luck and even worse weather.

Chris joined the team in 2017 and quickly underlined his sprinting class. He finished seventh in Ronde van Drenthe before announcing Tim Elverson’s outfit to the world by chasing home Dylan Groenewegen and Caleb Ewan for a superb third place on stage one of the Tour de Yorkshire. The Cornishman went on to win the opening round of the Tour Series, finish third in the Stockton Grand Prix and fifth on stage two of the Ronde van Midden Nederland – a race he won in 2016. Chris has won the points jersey at the Tour de Korea, mixed it with the best sprinters in the world at the Dubai Tour, notched three top-10s in the Tour of Britain and finished second in the CiCLE Classic. Since his maiden UCI victory in the Tour of Libya in 2010, he has also become a champion and multiple round winner at the Tour Series.

Splitting his time between Cycle Team OnForm and French outfit Culture Velo U19, Charles had a junior campaign to remember in 2017. He finished fifth in the Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne Juniors and seventh in the Junior CiCLE Classic. The former Hillingdon Slipstreamers talent was 18th in the national junior road race, won by fellow Canyon Eisberg recruit Louis Rose-Davies, then clinched the GP Dimitri Defrancq Hooglede in Belgium five days later. He was second in the Bath Junior Road Race before finishing sixth in Torhout (Rozeveld) and 10th in the Ronde des Vallées in France. Charles collected two top-10 stage finishes at the Junior Tour of Wales before crossing the pond to net a superb victory in the Green Mountain four-day stage race in Vermont, America. He then teamed up with Rose-Davies at the Six-Day London, where they finished seventh overall in the under-21 classification.

Alex’s promise was first seen on mountain bikes where he was a member of the Great Britain Olympic Development Programme. His off-road talents were underlined when he became national junior cyclocross champion and later won a round of the National Trophy. His switch to the road led to a successful spell with Tim Elverson at Pedal Heaven. There he registered numerous top-10 finishes in the Tour Series, playing key roles in the team’s maiden wins in Redditch and Portsmouth. He also enjoyed a superb one-two with Harry Tanfield in the Chepstow Grand Prix in 2016. That result was sandwiched between top-six finishes in the Beverley Grand Prix, Grand Prix of Wales and Sheffield Grand Prix. Alex’s favourite race is the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic, where he finished 12th and 13th in his two appearances. Alex has reunited with Elverson following a season at Madison Genesis.

Jack’s maiden victory at the top table of British cycling was a defining moment of 2017. The 2012 national hill climb champion capped a dominant team performance in round eight of the Tour Series in Aberdeen by sprinting to victory as Tim Elverson’s outfit filled three of the first four places. He later became King of the Hill at the Tour of the Reservoir having also featured in the team’s Tour de Yorkshire debut. While the Aberdeen victory represented a career high, Jack’s 2016 campaign was full of near misses. Second in the Ryedale Grand Prix, second in the Skipton Grand Prix, third at Ilkley, along with six top-10s in the Tour Series, including runner-up amid a team win in Redditch. Having represented Scotland at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Jack also boasts top-10s in the Wiltshire Grand Prix (two), the Tour of Reservoir (two) and Lincoln Grand Prix.

Louis fired a warning of his ability when beating Tom Pidcock to the junior national road race crown in July. Tim Elverson had already signed the Canyon UK rider for the 2018 season before he showcased his promise in such emphatic fashion. Louis had kicked off the year with eighth in the Perfs Pedal won by new team-mate Chris Opie. He went on to record two further top-10s in National B races, finished eighth in the Ster der Vlaamse Ardennen stage race and 10th in the Junior CiCLE Classic. The product of Hillingdon Slipstreamers then won the opening stage on his way to glory in the Kingdom Junior Classic. In the wake of his national title triumph, Louis finished sixth in the GP Dimitri Defrancq Hooglede, third in the Bath Junior Road Race and fifth on general classification in the Internationale Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt der Junioren in Germany.

Overall glory in December’s Tour of Quanzhou Bay was not only a defining moment for Max, it was a landmark success for the entire team. The University of Exeter student climbed to victory on the queen stage of the UCI 2.2 contest in China, snatching the leader’s jersey from team-mate Harry Tanfield and paving the way for his general classification win the following day. Max had earlier finished 14th in the Tour of Almaty after crossing the line 13th on the decisive second stage. He was ninth in the Beaumont Trophy, having finished 11th in 2016. And for the second time he finished runner-up in the BUCS Road Race Championship. Max joined the team from Pedal Heaven, where he rode to seventh place in both Velothon Wales and the under-23 national championship. He was ninth overall in the Tour of Bulgaria.

Charlie joined the team as a stagiare in 2017. He had recorded four National B wins after claiming the British team pursuit crown for Brother NRG. Shortly before that triumph, he finished second to team-mate Dan Bigham in the individual pursuit final. A British champion on the track at youth level, too, he was third behind Graham Briggs and Tom Pidcock in the elite race at the Doncaster Festival of Cycling. His other National A appearances included a superb 12th in the Chorley Grand Prix and an impressive spell up the road in the East Cleveland Klondike Grand Prix. Charlie later became the second fastest Brit ever in an individual pursuit (4min 14.994sec). That eclipsed the best efforts of Sir Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas and Mark Cavendish over the 4,000m distance, although Chris Boardman still holds the record (4.11.114). He also became a multiple BUCS champion in November.

Harry underlined his standing as one of Britain’s hottest prospects in 2017. The most aggressive rider on stage two of the Tour de Yorkshire, he later enjoyed a stunning Tour of Britain. He won the combativity prize on stage three, sprinted to seventh on stage four and then a brilliant time trial effort saw him finish 14th among the world’s best testers on stage five. Harry had served notice of his time trial form when fifth in the national championship. He was third overall in the National Circuit Series, having been runner-up in 2016, and second in Antwerpse Havenpijl. In December, the 2016 BUCS road race champion registered his maiden UCI win on stage one of the Tour of Quanzhou Bay before taking second on stage three. Harry was third in the CiCLE Classic in 2015 and has topped British Cycling’s elite rider rankings for the past two seasons.

Andrew needs little introduction thanks to a glittering track career. He became world team pursuit champion in 2012 and has six other World Championship medals. He is a six-time European champion and also boasts a Commonwealth Games silver. Outside the velodrome, he has excelled in crits, winning the Tour Series and registering 21 top-10 finishes. Among his many victories on the road are the Tour of the Reservoir, Wiltshire Grand Prix and Richmond Grand Prix. Andrew has ridden the Tour of Britain eight times, finishing inside the top 20 on seven stages and claiming best GC finish of 20th. He was 11th and fifth on the opening two stages of the An Post Ras last season and won a stage of Flèche du Sud in 2015. Other UCI top-10s include the Vuelta Ciclista a León, Tour De Korea, Tour de Normandie and London Surrey Cycle Classic.

After a superb breakthrough season in 2016, when he racked up 18 race wins and the points jersey in the Tour Series, the 2015 BUCS road race champion kicked on in style last term. Fine efforts in the Tour of the Wolds and Chorley Grand Prix were capped by second place in the Lincoln Grand Prix as he was crowned Spring Cup champion. Rory was a brilliant fourth in the Rutland-Melton International CiCLE Classic before coming within millimetres of a maiden UCI victory when sprinting to second in the Midden Brabant-Poort Omloop. Rory was ninth at Rad Am Ring and successfully defended his Bristol Grand Prix crown before a stunning finish to the season saw him win the mountains jersey at the Tour of Almaty and the points jersey in a dominant team performance at the Tour of Quanzhou Bay in China.