Talented British teenager Cat Ferguson will become one of the youngest professional riders in the Women's WorldTour peloton in 2024 when she debuts as a stagiaire for Movistar in the second half of the season, before formally joining the Spanish WorldTour team for 2025 on a three-year contract
Annemiek van Vleuten has retired but Movistar is clearly building for the future by signing Ferguson.
The Yorkshire rider will turn 18 on April 27, just three months before she makes her professional debut at elite level. She emulates Zoe Bäckstedt, who joined EF Education-Tibco-SVB in August 2022 as a 17-year-old, and Quinn Simmons, who turned professional with Trek-Segafredo in 2020 straight from the junior ranks.
Ferguson won the Junior Tour of Flanders and the junior Trofeo Binda in the spring and was second in the junior road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Glasgow. She's considered a multi-talented rider who can shine on all terrains, including cyclocross and track.
She will race for the British junior team Shibden Hopetech Apex this winter and in the first part of 2024, but will attend Movistar training camps and work with their performance team as she fast-tracks her development. Under UCI stagiaire rules she can race with Movistar from August 1, 2024.
"It's a dream come true to soon turn pro with the Movistar Team," Ferguson said as Movistar announced her signing.
"From our first meeting, it felt like such a welcoming and family environment, with a great focus on developing my attributes at WorldTour level.
"I look forward to learning from the best and most experienced riders in the world, and couldn’t think of a better team to help me make the step up to elite cycling.
"First, I want to close out my junior CX and road seasons, hopefully achieving some big wins."
Movistar is set to retool in 2024 following the retirement of Van Vleuten, with German champion Liane Lippert – a stage winner at the Tour de Frances Femmes as well as the recent Tour de Romandie – rising in prominence alongside fellow Tour stage winner Emma Norsgaard.
The team has already announced the signing of British rider Claire Steels on a three-year deal from Israel-Premier Tech-Roland for 2024, while Spanish teenager Lucia Ruiz Pérez makes the step up to the pro ranks.
