Our fastest bikes, built to win
The Spirit of Gravel. The Pursuit of Adventure. The Ribble Outliers.
After a breakthrough debut season, the Ribble Outliers return for 2026 hungrier, sharper, and focused on bigger goals. This is a gravel racing team built on doing things their own way, because that's where real progress lives.
We don't do neutral territory. Gravel exists in the space between adventure and performance, and that's exactly where we're at home. It's unpredictable, demanding, and unforgiving, but that's the point. That's where character shows up and where stories are earned, not given.
We're not here just to chase podiums. We're here to chase progress. To push boundaries, test limits, and keep asking what's possible. Every race is a lesson. Every setback fuels the next step forward.
This season is about evolution.
Meet The Outliers
Harry Tanfield - UK
Harry turned professional on the road in 2018 after graduating in civil engineering. He raced at WorldTour level, represented Great Britain and won a stage of the Tour of Yorkshire. After moving into gravel racing in 2025, he finished second at the British Gravel TT and placed in the top-five at Gravel Earth.
Sophie Wright - UK
Starting out in mountain biking, Sophie progressed through the GB Olympic Development pathway and went on to win European titles, World Cups and national championships. After six years racing on the road WorldTour, she returned off-road in 2025 and claimed five wins. In 2026, her focus is the Nationals, Europeans and Worlds.
Jenson Young - UK
Originally a cyclocross and road racer, Jenson moved into professional gravel racing in 2025 with the Ribble Outliers. He hit the ground running, winning UCI Gravel Wales and the National Gravel TT. Now he’s using that experience to push harder and raise the bar for 2026.
Metheven Bond - UK
Known for his strength over long distances, Metheven has delivered major results across UK gravel events. After balancing racing with full-time work, 2026 marks his move to competing full-time. With more focus and consistency, he’s aiming to turn strong performances into regular podium finishes this season.
Ben Thomas - UK
After winning four National Elite MTB titles and finishing seventh at the UCI World Marathon Championships, Ben switched to gravel racing in 2024. He joined the Ribble Outliers in 2025 and quickly made his mark at major races. For 2026, the goal is simple: fight for podiums across UCI and Gravel Earth events.
Josie Millard - UK
Once a professional skateboarder, Josie has swapped four wheels for two and gone all in on gravel racing. A former European Skateboarder of the Year, she brings serious power and energy to the bike. 2026 marks her first season as a full-time professional cyclist with the Ribble Outliers.
Abi Smith - UK
After four years racing in the Women’s WorldTour and winning six national titles across road, time trial, track, hill climb and gravel, Abi is taking on a new challenge for 2026. The current National Gravel TT Champion steps into her first full season of international gravel racing while also completing a conservation apprenticeship in North Yorkshire.
Coggy
Coggy is the unofficial morale booster of the Ribble Outliers. He’s at every camp, every race and every debrief, keeping spirits high whether it’s a podium day or a proper sufferfest. From early starts to late finishes, he’s part of the crew, no questions asked.
The Bike: ULTRA-GRIT Team Edition
For 2026, the Outliers continue to race on the ULTRA-GRIT. Same proven platform, now finished in a brand new colourway for the season.
ULTRA-GRIT is our dedicated gravel race bike. It’s built for speed on rough terrain, with a lightweight carbon frame and geometry tuned for aggressive riding. The aero shaping helps maintain speed on fast sections, while the generous tyre clearance gives riders the confidence to push harder when the surface gets loose.
This isn’t a bike built for comfort cruising. It’s designed for racing. For high intensity efforts, long days in the saddle and courses that don’t play nice.
Team Kit
For 2026, we’re pleased to welcome KALAS as the official kit partner of the Ribble Outliers.
KALAS brings decades of experience in performance cycling apparel, supplying pro teams and elite riders across road, gravel and MTB. Their kit is built for long days, hard efforts and unpredictable conditions, exactly what gravel racing demands.
Throughout the season, the team will race and train in custom KALAS kit, designed specifically for the Outliers. Aerodynamic fits and practical details that actually matter when you’re hours deep into a race.
2026 Race Calendar: Where To Find Us
From early-season training camps to headline gravel races across Europe and the UK, the Outliers are lining up for a busy year of racing. This calendar covers our key events for the season, including team camps, major targets and the long days that define gravel racing.
February
- 8 Feb – Team Camp 1 (Girona Launch)
- 14 Feb – Santa Vall (ESP)
- 22 Feb – Castellon Gravel (ESP)
March
- 22 Mar – Turnhout Gravel (BEL)
- 28 Mar – Elvas 114 (POR)
April
- 11 Apr – Gravel Desert (ESP)
- 12 Apr – Wörthersee Gravel (AUT)
- 19 Apr – Gravel Monaco (FRA)
- 25 Apr – Dirty Reiver (GBR)
- 25 Apr – Gravel 150 (NED)
May
- 1 May – Traka (ESP)
- 16 May – The Gralloch (GBR)
- 20 May – Team Camp 2 (Southwest)
June
- 6 Jun – Gravel Adventure (POL)
- 7 Jun – Ranxo Gravel (ESP)
- 14 Jun – Wish One Gravel (FRA)
- 21 Jun – Eislek Gravel (LUX)
July
- 5 Jul – Singen Hegau Gravel (GER)
- 11 Jul – The Majestics (SUI)
August
- 1 Aug – Hlinsko (CZE)
- 1 Aug – Megre Gravel (LIT)
- 9 Aug – Gravel Weekend (LAT)
- 14 Aug – Gravel, Grit & Grind (SWE)
- 27 Aug – Badlands Spain
- 30 Aug – Houffalize Euros (BEL)
September
- 5 Sep – Graean Gravel (GBR)
- 6 Sep – The River (GES Final) (BEL)
- 21 Sep – Team Camp 3 (Ribble Valley)
October
- 10–11 Oct – Nannup World Champs
TBC
- Dalby National Champs (GBR) – Date to be confirmed
Our Sponsors
Racing at this level doesn’t happen in isolation. The Ribble Outliers are backed by partners who share the same focus on performance, reliability and doing things properly. From equipment to apparel, each brand plays a role in keeping the team prepared for long days, tough conditions and everything gravel throws at us.
Follow The Outliers
Stay up to date with the team’s journey, race results, and behind-the-scenes content:
🔗 Instagram – @ribble_cycles/ribbleoutliers 🔗 YouTube – Ribble Cycles 🔗 Facebook – Ribble Cycles
Join us as we celebrate the adventure, the challenge, and the community that defines gravel riding. This is The Ribble Outliers.
Built for the Toon: Ribble opens in Newcastle
Our new Newcastle store is now open inside Cotswold Outdoor. Come and see the bikes, meet the team and find the right Ribble for your riding.
Ribble Outliers at the UCI Gravel World Championships 2026 in Nannup, Australia
Amongst the rolling hills south of Perth in Western Australia, the UCI Gravel World Championships 2026 took place in Nannup on consecutive days in cool and rainy conditions.
Ribble Across Africa: 3,200km. Four Countries. One Bike.
From Namibia’s deep sand and relentless corrugations to 210km days across Botswana and the steep, muddy climbs of Eswatini, Phil Freeman put his ALLGRIT TI-X titanium gravel bike through 3,200km of some of Africa’s toughest terrain. One bike, 23 days and not a single puncture.
Gravel Bikes - Which frame material is right for you?
More cyclists than ever are seizing the opportunity to take their rides off-piste in search of freedom and adventure. But to do so, you need the right tool for the job - a gravel bike. The Ribble gravel range consists of four frame materials. Each of these offers something a little different in terms of ride quality, longevity and performance characteristics. So how do you decide which frame material is right for you?
Titanium Bike Buying Guide: How to Choose
Compare Ribble's titanium road, gravel and CGR bikes. Learn the differences between each model and find the right titanium bike for your riding style.
Built For Badlands: Metheven Bond’s Ribble ULTRA-GRIT
Metheven Bond’s Badlands bike: the Ribble ULTRA-GRIT that carried him to sixth place across 817km of demanding terrain. Explore his setup, from tyres and gearing to comfort and carrying essentials, and discover how the details behind his ride can help shape your own gravel adventures, wherever they take you.
The Mechanics Choice - Ste Kane
When you spend every day building bikes, you start looking at them differently. So, when someone who knows the Ribble range inside out chooses a bike for himself, it’s worth asking why.
Autumn Cycling Tips
5 Autumn Cycling Tips Every Rider Should Know. Nights are creeping in. Roads are slicker. The kit that saw you through summer might not cut it now. But autumn doesn’t have to mean fewer miles. With a few smart changes, you can keep the pedals turning right through to winter.
A Solo Win in Wales and a Season Closed Out in the Ardennes
The Ribble Outliers delivered another standout weekend of gravel racing across Wales and Belgium. Jenson Young claimed an unforgettable solo victory at UCI Gravel Cymru, with Abi Smith taking second and Ben Thomas completing the podium in third. Meanwhile, Sophie Wright closed out her Gravel Earth Series campaign in the Ardennes, securing seventh overall after a season of victories, podiums and a national title. Every result was earned aboard the Ribble ULTRA-GRIT.
43 hours in Andalusia - Metheven Bond Rides to 6th at Badlands
817km, 14,420m of climbing, two nights without sleep and barely an hour off the bike. Metheven Bond's Badlands is one of the rides of our season.