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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 racing. The Cycling Weekly report describes how they fit elite-level training and travel around full-time jobs, with expenses and limited routes into paid men’s racing shaping their next steps.
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 circuit without earning a salary from cycling, according to a Cycling Weekly report. The teammates balance training, race travel and costs with full-time jobs, highlighting the financial demands on riders competing outside professional teams.
Armstrong, 32, works at JE James, a bike shop in Barnsley, and is also reported to have won this year’s Rapha Super-League. Cycling Weekly’s reporter said interviews with him had to be scheduled around work breaks. After races, Armstrong can return home to Yorkshire late on Sunday and be back at work the next morning.
Martin, 27, is a mechanical fitter at a shipyard and works shifts. He averages about 18 hours of training a week, in addition to gym sessions, and travels from Cumbria to races around the country. The report says neither rider earns money from racing beyond a small amount of prize money.
Armstrong said sponsor support has helped with equipment and nutrition but has not removed the burden of race expenses. He cited fuel, hotels and household costs as ongoing pressures. The riders are now turning toward winter gravel racing and hope to find sponsors who could help meet their costs for 2027, the report says.
The Cost of Domestic Racing
The riders’ results place them at the top of the domestic series, but the report describes a gap between sporting achievement and financial security. Training and travel sit alongside paid employment, leaving limited room for recovery and making participation dependent on personal resources and support.
The account also points to a narrower route into paid racing for British men. Cycling Weekly reports that the UK no longer has men’s Continental teams, which previously offered a step between club-level competition and higher professional ranks. That does not establish that every rider would reach a paid team through such a pathway, but it does underline why strong domestic results may not lead directly to a salary.
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A Route Into Paid Racing
Both riders had pursued opportunities beyond domestic racing. Armstrong told Cycling Weekly that his first professional race was the 2014 Ronde van Limburg, when he was 18. He had expected to join the Vacansoleil under-23 team, but it folded before the season began. He later rode for a club team in Belgium and for Spanish Continental teams before returning to Wheelbase CabTech Castelli.
The report contrasts the men’s domestic pathway with British women’s racing, which it says currently has four UK women’s Continental teams. Those teams provide a potential development route, though the article says women at that level also do not have a guaranteed minimum wage and may race semi-professionally. It cites recent moves by British riders from Continental teams to WorldTour squads as examples of that pathway in operation.
For men seeking rides with European teams, the report says post-Brexit travel rules complicate matters. British riders are subject to the 90-days-in-180-days Schengen limit, which can make extended racing abroad harder to arrange. The source describes this as a bureaucratic obstacle for smaller teams, not as a complete bar on British riders joining them.
“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 the Riders Earn
The report does not give a full accounting of either rider’s income, annual racing expenses or prize money. It says they earn no salary from racing and receive only a small amount of prize money, but does not quantify that amount. It also does not establish how much sponsor support will be available for 2027, or whether either rider has secured a new contract or team place.
The article describes the absence of British men’s Continental teams and the effects of travel restrictions on European opportunities, but it does not set out every available route to professional racing. The riders’ future plans and the longer-term status of domestic teams remain unconfirmed in the supplied report.
Plans for the 2027 Season
Armstrong and Martin are expected to race gravel events over the winter and seek sponsors to help cover the costs of their 2027 campaigns, according to Cycling Weekly. The report does not name any confirmed sponsorship deals or set out their race calendars.
For now, both riders remain with Wheelbase CabTech Castelli, while continuing their jobs alongside racing. Whether their National Road Series results lead to greater financial backing or opportunities with teams abroad is not yet clear.
Key Questions
Who finished first and second in 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 rider earns a salary from racing. They receive a small amount of prize money, but the article does not state the amount.
What jobs do the riders have?
Armstrong works at JE James bike shop in Barnsley. Martin works shifts as a mechanical fitter in a shipyard.
How much does Martin train?
The report says Martin averages about 18 hours of training per week, plus gym sessions. It also describes long journeys from Cumbria to races around Britain.
What are the riders planning after the 2026 season?
They are looking toward winter gravel racing and hope to secure sponsors to help pay their costs for 2027. No specific new sponsorship deals are confirmed in the report.
Source: cyclingweekly.com
