The young American joins the team from January 2022 as a neo-pro
In 2019 Magnus Sheffield raced a slippery, crash riddled race in Yorkshire, in what had been one of the soggiest World Championships in years, taking bronze in the UCI junior road race. He was 17-years-old, and showed the world that his name was one not to be forgotten. Fast-forward two years and INEOS Grenadiers are delighted to announce that Sheffield will be joining the team from January 2022.
When the global pandemic hit, this young and upcoming American talent, like many, saw his season race plans cancelled. It was time to rethink what his season could look like with a calendar of no racing.
He decided to take to the track with the goal to break the junior 3km individual pursuit world record. In November 2020, at Eleven Velodrome at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs he did just that, with a time of 3:06.447, beating the previous record that stood at 3:09.710.
“It was a really hard time because all the races were cancelled, it was really heartbreaking, especially to miss out on a whole year of racing as a junior.” Sheffield says.
“The pursuit was something that I knew that I could do by myself, along with support from the USA coaching team, of course. But what was key, is I didn’t need any other competitors, and it was something that I could be quite flexible with timing wise.
“The pursuit was something that I knew that I could do by myself, along with support from the USA coaching team, of course. But what was key, is I didn’t need any other competitors, and it was something that I could be quite flexible with timing wise.
“I’m not sure what inspired me to want to do it other than I’ve always liked the individual pursuit, but it was something that was definitely a lot more difficult when I went to try and break the record than what I had anticipated. It was a really cool experience that I’ll remember for a long time,” Sheffield recalls.
Magnus Sheffield
I kinda see myself as an all-rounder, I would say that the one day races are the ones I like the most, especially with the cobbles, but the first couple of years on the team I just want to see which type of terrain suits me.”
In 2020 Sheffield made the leap across the Pond to one of Europe’s cycling hubs, Girona, to embark upon his first elite level season. Having previously raced in Europe as a junior, he already knew it was going to involve quite the step up, but one he felt ready for.
“There’s a big jump going from the juniors to the professional ranks, especially missing out on a year of racing. I would say that the intensity of the races hasn’t changed much since when I was a junior, they’re very similar. It's just that you try and do it after 200km,” he notes.
When asked what kind of rider he sees himself as, he responds: “I kinda see myself as an all-rounder, I would say that the one day races are the ones I like the most, especially with the cobbles, but the first couple of years on the team I just want to see which type of terrain suits me.”
Director of Racing, Rod Ellingworth believes that Sheffield has shown he has a lot of talent, and is excited to see him develop within the team: “Magnus has shown that he’s a gutsy racer, and one that when faced with challenges has the aptitude to create solutions to overcome what life throws at him. The way he sets himself goals and works towards them is a quality that fits with the INEOS Grenadiers’ ethos. Developing up and coming talent is now a real focus for this team, and it will be interesting to see how he grows over the coming seasons.”
From a young age Sheffield remembers watching and admiring how the team raced, “I grew up watching Team Sky on the front of races, I can even remember Brad winning the Tour, that was probably my first recollection of the team,” he says. “It’s always been a team that I’ve looked up to, and out of all the professional teams it was the one that I grew up wanting to be a part of.
"The next couple years I’m looking forward to gaining as much experience as possible and really just trying to find the style of racing I like the most. Then also being able to help my teammates succeed."
