Top British talent Sam Watson joins the INEOS Grenadiers

The INEOS Grenadiers are pleased to announce that top young British talent, Sam Watson, has signed a two-year contract with the team until the end of 2026.

The 22-year-old all-rounder from Leeds joins having already raced for two seasons at WorldTour level. Earlier this year he won the final stage of the Tour de Wallonie as well as taking top-10 finishes overall at the Tour de la Provence and Boucles de la Mayenne.

In 2023 he rode and finished his first Grand Tour – La Vuelta a España – and he’s already ridden Milan-San Remo, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. 

Watson finished second in the 2022 British national championships road race, along with an impressive fifth at Tro-Bro Léon in 2022. He also took a strong sixth place at Grand Prix de Denain in 2023.

Sam Watson said: “Joining this team really is a dream come true and I’m beyond excited to start working together and see what we can achieve.

“As a young British kid watching other British riders in this team, it was really inspiring. To now join INEOS and ride alongside some of those big names - and to learn from them is really special.

“I truly believe this is the perfect environment to reach my full potential and learn from the amazing role models within the team. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Performance Director, Scott Drawer said: “It’s great that another talented young British rider is joining our Team. Sam’s still young but he has already demonstrated his talent at the highest level. We know that we’ll be able to offer him the best possible platform to take the important next steps in his career, and together we are excited to unlock his future potential.

“Sam’s profile and the range of capabilities will likely see him take a place in our Classics squad and feature in one-week races, where he has the skill to fight for wins in hard stages.

“In working closely with our world-class performance staff we’ll be able to offer him the opportunities to challenge for results in the right events, while at the same time developing all of the other skills it takes to be a sustained success at this level.”

“Our squad for 2025 is really taking shape, with a balance being struck between some of the most exciting young talents in the pro peloton being guided and mentored by the likes of Geraint, Ben, Salvatore, Jonathan, along with fellow new signing, Bob Jungels.”