Netcompany INEOS has signed Joe Blackmore (NSN Cycling Team) on a three-year deal from 2027, backing the 23-year-old's development after an injury-disrupted 2026, the team said in its official announcement. Fellow Briton James Shaw (EF Education-EasyPost), 30, joins with him.
"I’m extremely excited and grateful for the opportunity to spend the next three years of my career with Netcompany INEOS," Blackmore said in the announcement. "It’s been a tough 2026 for me with injuries, but it’s made me even more motivated to reach my full potential."
His comments imply the deal through the end of 2029, though the team did not specify a contract length for him or Shaw.
In May, NSN said Blackmore had undergone a diagnostic arthroscopy in Belgium, which found and treated an infrapatellar plica, a fold of tissue in the knee joint. The team gave no return date at the time.
In 2024 Blackmore became the first British winner of the men's Tour de l'Avenir and also won the under-23 Liège-Bastogne-Liège. He took overall wins at the Tour du Rwanda, Tour de Taiwan and Circuit des Ardennes in consecutive stage races, and finished fourth at the elite Brabantse Pijl.
Blackmore's signing addresses one concern raised in our September analysis of the team's departures: the loss of young riders just as they began delivering results. Andrew August and Artem Shmidt are both leaving after winning seasons, and our analysis identified Blackmore as a rider INEOS could rebuild with.
"Joe is a rider we’ve followed closely and someone we believe has significant potential," said Geraint Thomas, the team's director of racing, in the announcement. "Our focus will be on giving him the environment, support and time to continue that progression."
Shaw offers something more immediate. He rode the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España in 2025, finished third overall at the Région Pays de la Loire Tour and was sixth on the Vuelta stage to Andorra. Before this year's Vuelta, he described his role as fitting in "on the harder, hilly stages, when the road goes up a bit more".
"As a kid, this was the team that inspired me," Shaw said in the team's announcement. "I grew up looking up to riders like Geraint Thomas."
Filling the gaps
The pair arrive after a run of departures from the British team. Ben Turner is joining Soudal Quick-Step, Andrew August is going to Pinarello Q36.5, Artem Shmidt to NSN, and Victor Langellotti left in August for XDS-Astana. Ben Swift, a long-serving road captain, and Bob Jungels, the 2018 Liège-Bastogne-Liège winner, are retiring at the end of the season.
Shaw brings experience as Swift and Jungels retire, but the announcement does not set out a specific racing role for him. "He’s got a diverse skill set and brings valuable experience to the team," Thomas said. "He’s also someone who will contribute to the strong British culture we have within the squad, both on and off the bike." Clément Champoussin and Harold Tejada are climbers, and Markel Beloki arrives after winning the Tour de l'Ain.
This week revealed another significant departure to account for, with Filippo Ganna (Netcompany INEOS) joining Lidl-Trek through 2029. The two-time world time-trial champion's exit adds proven winning ability to the losses of youth and experience highlighted in September.
Blackmore and Shaw give INEOS a developing rider and an experienced climber, answering part of that rebuilding need. Neither is a direct replacement for Ganna's time-trial strength or Turner's combination of Classics results and sprinting ability.
