Four young riders representing Team Utmost–Mezzo Isle of Man Junior Cycling Team contested last month’s Junior Tour of Wales 2026.
The event again delivered a demanding and dramatic three days of racing in which the Isle of Man riders produced one of their strongest collective performances of recent years.
Across four stages and thousands of metres of climbing, Alec Sorby, Roch Morgan, Zach Jones, and Cameron Hounsell demonstrated resilience, tactical intelligence and determination against the best junior riders in Britain.
It began with 1,330 metres of climbing and relentless rain, turning the Monmouthshire circuit into a treacherous test of nerve. Morgan animated the race immediately, joining a three‑man breakaway on lap one, driving the pace confidently.
The break reduced to two riders, with Morgan still pushing hard, forging ahead solo as the peloton began to close.
He was finally caught on the last lap, with Sorby, Jones and Morgan all positioned in the main peloton as two other riders broke clear to win the stage.
In the sprint from the bunch, Jones finished 20th, narrowly ahead of Morgan in 21st, while Sorby placed strongly within the chase group.
Hounsell rode well throughout, finishing second in the points classification despite suffering a chain jam on the final lap that forced him to wait for a spare bike.
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Morgan’s early aggression earned him both the king of the mountains and points’ jerseys.
The 14km time trial reshaped the standings, Jones 12th quickest in 20.36, Sorby 14th with 20.41 and Hounsell 15th 20.46, moving Sorby up to sixth on GC, Jones 13th, Morgan 18th and Hounsell 35th.
Stage three saw the Tour’s most punishing test, with 1,950 metres of climbing and a brutal final ascent.
Early breakaway attempts came and went, but the four IoM riders worked cohesively in the peloton, conserving energy ahead of the decisive climb when the race exploded.
Morgan defended the king of the mountains jersey in 15th place, followed by Sorby 17th, Hounsell 26th and Jones 52nd to place Sorby 15th on GC, Morgan 19th, Hounsell 30th and Jones 35th.
The final stage brought another 1,823 metres of climbing, with cagey racing early on as Team Wales controlled the peloton and shut down attacks.
Morgan rode with clear purpose, collecting early points to mathematically secure the overall king of the mountains title.
Hounsell, second in the points classification, launched an all‑out effort to chase the green jersey. Despite his determination, he narrowly missed out by just two points, finishing second overall — a superb achievement after his stage one mechanical.
The race split late, with two riders breaking clear. Behind them, Sorby delivered one of the strongest rides of the day, finishing sixth in the chasing group.
Jones bounced back from stage three to finish 19th, while Morgan and Hounsell completed the Tour strongly.
Their stage results read as follows: Sorby sixth, Jones 19th, Morgan 39th and Hounsell 47th.
The final general classification for the 2026 Junior Tour of Wales saw Sorby 14th overall with a total time of 9hr 11min 17s
Morgan 24th (9h 18m 19s), winning the king of the mountains title; Jones 28th (9h 20m 49s) and Hounsell 36th overall (9h 35m 29s), runner-up in the points (sprinters) jersey competition.