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Tom Armstrong and Tom Martin finished first and second in the 2026 National Road Series while earning no regular income from racing. The Cycling Weekly report describes how they combine demanding jobs with training and competition, amid limited paid pathways for Britain’s top male domestic riders.
Tom Armstrong and Tom Martin, who finished first and second in the 2026 National Road Series, race at the top of Britain’s domestic men’s scene without earning a regular salary from cycling. A Cycling Weekly report details how the pair combine demanding jobs with training, travel and race expenses, highlighting the financial pressures facing riders outside professional teams.
Armstrong, 32, won the National Road Series and this year’s Rapha Super-League while working at JE James bike shop in Barnsley. The report says calls with him were arranged around work breaks; after returning from races, sometimes hundreds of miles from his home in Yorkshire, he would be back on the job the next morning.
Martin, 27, works shifts as a mechanical fitter in a shipyard and averages about 18 hours of training a week, in addition to gym sessions. Based in Cumbria, he also travels long distances to compete. The report says neither rider earns money from racing beyond a small amount of prize money.
Armstrong said sponsorship has helped with some equipment and nutrition, but has not made racing financially secure. Support from Vetta and Styrkr included wheels and nutrition products, he said; travel, hotels, fuel and ordinary household expenses remain. The report says both riders plan to race gravel over winter and hope to find sponsors who can help with costs for 2027.
The Cost of Staying Competitive
The riders’ results show that national-level success does not necessarily provide a living. Armstrong and Martin have spent years competing at an elite level, yet their racing depends on keeping outside jobs while fitting in training and travel. That arrangement can put pressure on time, finances and the ability to pursue opportunities in the sport.
The report links those pressures to a limited men’s domestic pathway. It says Britain no longer has men’s Continental teams, which previously offered a route toward paid racing, while costs remain high and sponsorship support can be limited. The two riders’ situation matters to fans because it gives a clearer view of the work and personal expense behind results that may appear professional from the roadside.
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A Narrower Route to Paid Racing
Armstrong’s route included a planned place on the Vacansoleil under-23 team, which folded before the season began. He later rode for a Belgian club team and a Spanish Continental team before returning to Britain and rejoining Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, where he began cycling as a teenager. The team is described in the report as one of the country’s strongest, but without current ambitions to gain Continental status.
The report also points to Brexit-related travel restrictions as an added complication for British riders seeking opportunities with European squads. British nationals are subject to the Schengen limit of 90 days in any 180-day period, which the article says can be difficult for small foreign teams to manage. The report contrasts the men’s situation with Britain’s women’s scene, where four domestic UCI Continental teams provide a potential stepping stone, though women at that level also do not have 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
What Sponsorship Can Cover
The report does not specify how much either rider spends each year on racing, how much prize money they received in 2026, or the value of their sponsorship support. It also does not establish whether either rider has secured funding for the 2027 season. Their stated hope of finding sponsors remains a plan, not a confirmed agreement.
It is also unclear whether either rider will seek a different team or paid opportunity, or how their work schedules may affect their racing plans. The report describes the broader lack of men’s Continental teams but does not detail any announced plans to create a new pathway.
Winter Racing and 2027 Plans
Armstrong and Martin are expected to turn to gravel racing over winter, according to the report, while looking for sponsors to help meet next season’s costs. Their immediate challenge is to continue competing while maintaining their jobs and covering the expenses of training and travel.
No specific sponsorship deals or 2027 team changes are reported. The next developments to watch are whether either rider secures additional support and whether the domestic men’s scene gains new opportunities for riders seeking paid competition.
Key Questions
Who finished first and second in the 2026 National Road Series?
Tom Armstrong finished first and Tom Martin second, according to the Cycling Weekly report.
Do Armstrong and Martin earn salaries from racing?
The report says neither earns a regular salary from racing. They receive only a small amount of prize money, and both have jobs outside cycling.
What jobs do the riders have?
Armstrong works at JE James bike shop in Barnsley. Martin is a shift-working mechanical fitter in a shipyard.
How much does Martin train?
Martin averages about 18 hours of training each week, plus gym sessions, the report says.
What are the riders planning after the road season?
The report says they plan to race gravel over winter and hope to find sponsors to help cover costs for 2027. No new deals are confirmed.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
