Cycling's traditional model of long-term athlete development is being reshaped by WorldTour academies, AI, and concentrated investment. What does this new landscape of athlete development mean for young riders, coaches, and the future of high performance?

The emergence of development teams (U23 and Junior) explicitly or closely affiliated with World Tour teams has created a concentration of capital, knowledge and professional networks. Riders outside of this growing concentration of haves and have nots are notably less visible to professional cycling teams than those within these silos of development.