New Team DSM-firmenich pathway aimed at finding Irish, British talent

While a growing number of Irish riders have secured places on established junior and U23 development teams in recent years, the prospects of Irish riders being spotted just got a bit strong.

World Tour squad Team dsm-firmenich are now teaming up with a UK-based development team – for junior and U23 male and female riders – with a view to spotting the Irish and British talent. Indeed, the team has already signed two young Irish talents for the 2024 season.

Both Lucy Benezet Minns and Aliyah Rafferty have signed for Tofauti Everyone Active, the British team that is now joining forces with Team dsm-firmenich, which has World Tour men’s and women’s teams and a Continental-level development team for men.

It will use Tofauti Everyone Active as a scouting squad to discover talent from the junior and U23 ranks as the push continues in the pro ranks and find talent earlier.

While most of the UK team’s riders are British, it has said the new team with Team dsm-firmenich is intended to “identify the emerging talents from the UK and Ireland”. It has also described the new partnership as “a genuine pathway to the women’s and men’s World Tour”.

“To be recognised by a team of the stature of Team dsm-firmenich in this regard is testament to how much young racing talent there is in the UK currently, something we’ve worked hard to nurture over the past few years,” said Tofauti Everyone Active team manager Ian Mansel-Thomas

“As a team, they are second to none when it comes to structure across men’s, women’s and U23 teams, always with an eye on a rider’s progression and development.

“So we’re really excited to be able to create this connection that will not only help Team dsm-firmenich to identify the next generational talents, but also help Tofauti Everyone Active too by learning from how a team such as this operates and manages these progression pathways – something we’ll look to integrate into our ways of working.”

Hans Timmermans, scouting coordinator at Team dsm-firmenich, said Tofauti Everyone Active had already established itself as “a real force for good on the junior race circuit internationally”.

“The results from nurturing and developing young riders speak for themselves, achievements that come from a combination of talent and also the support structure established around them,” he said. “This is one of the main reasons why we identified this team as one that would be a great fit to help us continue to identify the next generation of up and coming stars from the UK.”