Seth Dunwoody will take his first steps into the international U23 peloton in coming weeks after a successful junior career that saw him capture wins in major races in Europe, including in the UCI Junior Nations Cup series.
And though it may take him a while to find his legs, as is usual with any big change, he will be eligible for a call-up to World Tour racing following major changes for his new team.
The 18-year-old Irish rider has signed with CTF Victorious, an Italian UCI Continental team which has long been affiliated to Bahrain Victorious, as was the case with Dunwoody's junior team of the last two seasons, Cannibal B Victorious.
However, CTF Victorious has now officially become the U23 team of Bahrain Victorious, and has been rebranded with a new identity and name; Cannibal Victorious Devo.
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As it is now officially the development team of the World Tour squad Bahrain Victorious, its U23 riders will be eligible to be called up to the World Tour team for some racing.
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Liam O'Brien has benefited from the same situation as the Corkman, and former Fermoy Cycling Club rider, is currently a Lidl Trek Future Racing member. That team is the development squad of the Lidl Trek World Tour team, with O'Brien called up to ride for the top team last season, in his first year as an U23.
Dunwoody, who looks like an international talent in both sprinting and as a TT rider, may now get the same chance, with Adam Rafferty also in the same position.
Rafferty - 10th in the U23 TT at the Worlds last year - rode for the Axel Merckx-run UCI Continental team, Hagens Berman Jayco, last year and will compete in its colours again in 2025.
It has now become the official development team of Team Jayco AlUla - the World Tour team of double Vuelta stage winner Eddie Dunbar. And that means Rafferty, and his team mates, will be eligible to be called up to the World Tour line-up.
The new relationship between World Tour teams and their official development squads comes about after changes made by the UCI. It effectively means riders in the U23 teams can, at times, be called up to race with their World Tour 'parent' teams, for some events - though not World Tour-level races.
It allows World Tour teams to trial new talent by slotting development riders in and out of their line-ups as they want. It is hoped the relatively new measure will encourage more World Tour teams to invest in development squads.
