'Thrown in at the deep end' - Meet the youngest cyclist on Team GB's Olympic squad

First inspired by London 2012, teenager Ella Maclean-Howell is making her Olympic debut in Paris

Ella Maclean-Howell at the Paris Olympics
(Image credit: SWPix)

The past two summers couldn't have been more different for Ella Maclean-Howell. Last year, back home in South Wales, the 19-year-old was finishing her A-Levels, having studied history, maths and the Welsh Baccalaureate. Now, she's riding her mountain bike at the Olympic Games in Paris. 

Few athletes can boast having made their Olympic debut as a teenager. For Maclean-Howell, the youngest rider on Team GB's cycling squad, hers has come "earlier than expected".

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Tom Davidson
Senior News Writer

Tom joined Cycling Weekly as a news and features writer in the summer of 2022, having previously contributed as a freelancer. He is the host of The TT Podcast, which covers both the men's and women's pelotons and has featured a number of prominent British riders.

An enthusiastic cyclist himself, Tom likes it most when the road goes uphill and actively seeks out double-figure gradients on his rides.