'Five or six WorldTour teams asked for my data' - Interest grows around world record breaker without a road team

A handful of WorldTour teams have made enquiries for British rider Josh Charlton, the former world record holder in the individual pursuit has revealed.

The 22-year-old became European champion in the 4,000m event earlier this month, and added a British title to his growing list of achievements on Friday. Despite his track success, he is currently without a road squad, after his previous team, Trinity Racing, folded at the end of 2024.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly, Charlton said that “five or six” WorldTour teams have made contact with his agent, after he broke Filippo Ganna’s world record at the UCI Track World Championships late last year.

“I didn’t realise the potential I had until October,” he said. “I didn’t realise how good I was at it until that day.”

The Brit became only the third rider ever at the time to go below four minutes in the event, when he clocked 3:59.304 in qualifying. His record stood for around six hours, before it was bettered again by Italy’s Jonathan Milan in the final, Charlton settling for a silver medal.

Asked if road teams took notice of his performance, Charlton said: “I had a few nearly opportunities come about after the world record in Copenhagen, but nothing really came of it.

“My agent had five or six different WorldTour teams asking for data, asking for TrainingPeaks, stuff like that. It’s a difficult time to do such a good ride like that in October, when rosters have been decided, budgets have been used up. If I’d done it in September, maybe it would have been a different story.

“It just shows there is potential, there’s definitely interest. I’ve got to keep pushing, keep driving, doing fast times, winning stuff, and eventually they’ll hopefully take notice.”

Last season, Charlton combined his track calendar with road racing as part of Trinity Racing's squad. The team closed at the end of 2024, leaving him without a ride.

“I’m lucky that I’ve got the track, and I’ve got the funding from BC [British Cycling], so I can still keep doing it,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of guys, even guys who I rode with, who had to end their careers because the team folded.”

Although a permanent contract did not materialise for 2025, there’s talk of riding as a guest, or stagiaire, for professional road teams later in the season, he said.

“The guys I’m competing against, guys like Filippo Ganna and Jonathan Milan – Milan has won everything at the UAE Tour this week, and Ganna’s Ganna – if you’re going as fast as those guys, surely you’re going to be of some use to the big teams,” Charlton said.

“It’s not the end of the world that I’m not on a WorldTour team. It just means I’ve got to keep pushing and keep finding opportunities.”