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Tom Armstrong and Tom Martin finished first and second in the 2026 National Road Series, but neither earns a salary from road racing. The Wheelbase CabTech Castelli riders combine demanding jobs with training and travel, while looking to gravel racing and sponsorship to help meet costs for 2027.
Tom Armstrong and Tom Martin, the first- and second-place finishers in the 2026 National Road Series, are competing at the top of Britain’s domestic men’s road calendar without earning salaries from racing. A Cycling Weekly report describes how the Wheelbase CabTech Castelli teammates fit training and long-distance race travel around paid work, while covering costs that prize money and limited sponsorship do not meet.
Armstrong, 32, also won this year’s Rapha Super-League. He works at JE James, a bike shop in Barnsley, and has arranged interviews around work breaks, according to Cycling Weekly. After races that can leave him travelling hundreds of miles back to Yorkshire on Sunday night, he returns to work on Monday. He said the National Road Series title brought little financial reward beyond the satisfaction of winning.
Martin, 27, is a mechanical fitter at a shipyard and works shifts. Cycling Weekly reports that he averages about 18 hours of training a week, in addition to gym sessions, and makes lengthy trips from Cumbria to races around the country. Both riders receive some support, but it does not cover their overall costs.
Armstrong said sponsors Vetta and Styrkr provided wheels and nutrition this year. He described that help as pressure-relieving but not cash that would meet expenses such as fuel, hotels and household costs. The report says neither rider earns money from racing apart from a small amount of prize money; it does not give figures for their total expenses, earnings or prize payouts.
The Cost of Domestic Men’s Racing
The riders’ schedules illustrate the gap between results at the top of the domestic calendar and the financial support available to achieve them. Training, travel and accommodation take time and money, while employment provides their main income. That limits how far success on the road can translate into a sustainable career for riders outside the WorldTour.
The situation also matters for the sport’s development. Riders who have demonstrated their ability at home still need a route into better-supported teams if they are to race at a higher level. The report says that Britain no longer has men’s Continental teams, which had offered a potential step between domestic competition and paid racing. Armstrong and Martin’s results do not, by themselves, guarantee an overseas contract or financial security.
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From Junior Prospects to Domestic Titles
Both riders had tried to progress beyond domestic racing. Armstrong said his first professional race was the 2014 Ronde van Limburg, when he was 18; he recalled that the race was also Mathieu van der Poel’s first as a senior. Armstrong had been due to join the Vacansoleil under-23 team, but it folded before the season began. He later rode for a Belgian club team and the Spanish Continental team Electro Hiper Europa before returning to Britain and rejoining Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, the team where he began cycling as a teenager.
Cycling Weekly links the limited British men’s pathway partly to the loss of domestic Continental teams and the difficulty of joining some European squads after Brexit. It says British riders face the Schengen limit of 90 days in any 180-day period, a restriction that can complicate plans for small foreign teams. The report contrasts this with four UK women’s Continental teams and cites recent riders who have moved from domestic teams to the WorldTour. It also notes that women’s Continental racing does not automatically mean riders earn a minimum wage.
“Winning the National Road Series is just, as they say, for the love of the game. I wouldn’t say I’m better off for having won it.”
— Tom Armstrong, speaking to Cycling Weekly
The Riders’ 2027 Plans
The report does not specify how much either rider spends on racing, how much prize money they receive, or whether either has secured new financial backing for next season. It says they plan to focus on winter gravel racing and hope to attract sponsors who can help cover 2027 costs, but gives no confirmed deals or budgets. It is also unclear whether either rider has a firm offer from a Continental or overseas team.
The wider effects of Britain’s reduced men’s Continental pathway are described by the report, but no figures are provided for the number of riders affected or the teams’ operating costs. The article does not establish that every domestic rider faces the same circumstances as Armstrong and Martin.
Gravel Racing and Sponsor Support
Armstrong and Martin are expected to turn to the gravel season over winter, with the aim of competing and attracting support for their next road season. The immediate question is whether sponsorship can cover enough of their travel and equipment expenses to make continued racing more manageable. No new sponsor agreements or 2027 team arrangements have been announced in the source report.
The 2027 season will show whether the riders can build on their National Road Series results while maintaining their jobs, and whether either finds a route to a better-funded team. For now, both remain with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli and, as the report describes it, race alongside paid employment.
Key Questions
Who won the 2026 National Road Series?
Tom Armstrong finished first and teammate Tom Martin finished second, according to the Cycling Weekly report.
Do Armstrong and Martin earn salaries from racing?
The report says neither receives a salary from road racing. They earn their main income through other jobs and receive only a small amount of prize money, alongside limited sponsor support.
What work do the riders do?
Armstrong works at JE James, a bike shop in Barnsley. Martin works shifts as a mechanical fitter in a shipyard.
How does Martin fit in his training?
Cycling Weekly reports that Martin averages about 18 hours of training per week, plus gym sessions, while working shifts and travelling from Cumbria to races.
What are the riders planning for 2027?
The report says they plan to race gravel over winter and hope to find sponsors to help cover costs for 2027. It does not report confirmed new sponsorship deals or team changes.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
