There will be a new name on the starting line for St Albans' premier cycle racing team after eight highly successful years.
Lead sponsor reallymoving.com has decided to hand over the baton of leading the Verulam team sponsorship to a new lead - Megan’s restaurants.
It means the team formerly known as Verulam Reallymoving will race in 2025 and 2026 under the banner of Verulam Megan's Racing Team.
A spokesman for the club said: "We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Megan’s restaurants.
"They will be co-sponsoring our widely acclaimed cycle racing team, joining Verulam CC as new headline sponsors.
"We would like to acknowledge and thank Reallymoving.com for the incredible support that they provided to the team over the past eight years."
Team manager Doug Driscoll explained more about what they have achieved and what they hope for in the future.
He said: "Over the last eight seasons we’ve achieved a huge amount, both in terms of providing a pathway for young riders to race nationally and internationally, and creating, from a standing-start, a team that is now recognised one of the best racing teams certainly in the region.
"The partnership with Megan’s enables us to support even more aspiring young racers to compete with a comprehensive package of kit and support from the team."
Emily Tutty, marketing manager at Megan’s, added: “Community is at the heart of all that we do here at Megan’s and we’re delighted to be able to partner with Verulam.
"We’re passionate about supporting our local communities, as is reflected in our goal to be the nation’s most loved neighbourhood restaurant.
"We are so excited to follow the progress of the team’s young athletes and look forward to welcoming them into Megan’s at the Old Bell to refuel with their friends and family post-race."
There is another new sponsor on board too, UltimateMover.com joining the squad.
Managing consultant Stan Nwaka said: "We’re really pleased to be a sponsor; it’s a nice feeling to be supporting a team which is clearly achieving great things with its youth squad in particular."
In the current cyclo-cross season the team’s riders are proving to be amongst the best in the country, according to rankings by British Cycling with junior rider Samuel Stacey second in the UK, Emma Knox third in the U14s and brother Alarik Knox seventh U16.
The team’s senior riders are having an excellent season too, with Alan Gunner being British Cycling’s highest ranked V40 rider and Paul Caton currently seventh in the V60 rankings.
The club have also been busy recruiting with new signings such as U16 Matthias Kwan showing that the pathway from Verulam CC’s youth development programme into the racing team is bearing fruit.
In the past, riders following this route have gone onto national and international success, including ex-Verulam rider Will Smith who will be riding for Team Visma Lease A Bike in 2025, the team of the 2023 Tour de France winner Jonas Vingegaard and multiple cyclo-cross World Champion Wout Van Aert.
Emma Knox lapped the whole field to win U14 girls' race, as did Jake Avis on his way to victory in the U10 boys.
Winston took top honours in the U8 boys while Ada was fourth for the U12 girls.
Another of the team’s high-flying youngsters, George Rice, winner of the previous round at Delapre Abbey, had an early crash at MK Bowl but still battled on to sixth in the U12 boys.
The adults were flying too, Caton winning in the V60s, Alan Gunner second in V40s and Davi Braga taking 12th for the senior men.
Gunner then went on to win the V40s at the London & South East CX League round seven.
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