Jakroo-Handsling has applied for UCI Continental status for the 2027 season, a move that would make it the first men’s British squad to hold the designation since 2024, when Trinity Racing and Saint Piran competed in the category.
The team began racing in 2025 as Raptor Racing and will compete next year as Pronto Bikes Racing by Promethean, with Pronto Bikes acting as the Frome-based sponsor and Promethean providing the management.
This season, the riders finished second in the National Road Series and secured three UCI podiums in European races, with strong performances from Jack Rootkin-Gray—who finished second in the North Yorkshire GP and the British Gravel Champs—and Oli Dawson, who placed second in the UCI 1.2 GP de la Ville de Nogent-sur-Oise in July.
“We had a target of being competitive on the National Road and Crit series domestically, but also trying to provide as many UCI opportunities for the riders.”
said team principal Tony Poole in an interview with Cycling Weekly.
“With riders trying to build a pathway into joining the pro ranks, they need the exposure against the WorldTour devo teams, and so they need those UCI race days alongside the domestic calendar.” Cycling Weekly
According to Poole, the elevation to the Continental ranks
“enables access to races and events that we otherwise wouldn’t get access to. Whereas, as an international British team, we were not always first among the UCI race organisers”.
The management has submitted a fully-funded plan to British Cycling for next season that covers all of the organization’s “red lines,” including bicycles and insurance. While Poole is confident in the outcome, he said that
“Obviously it’s not done till it’s done, so we’re still working on our side on delivering everything that’s needed for the application, and that’s the only way it can be.”
For the upcoming year, the team has targeted 30 UCI events, though Poole emphasized that his primary focus remains rider development.
“Personally, my goal is to see the progression of riders. That’s what I want to see. I want to see us delivering riders into 2028 with better opportunities than they had in 2027. So that’s the goal for us,” he told CW.
