Michael Leonard reflects on his first season in World Tour: "It’s the tough moments that allow you to grow"

Moving directly from the junior ranks to the WorldTour isn’t a complete novelty anymore, but it remains a rarity. Michael Leonard joined that elite cadre when he skipped the under-23 category to join Ineos Grenadiers at the start of this season, and the 19-year-old has lined out for his first WorldTour race this week at the Tour of Guangxi.

"This week has been a good experience, I’m learning a lot from being in a peloton with high calibre riders," Leonard told Cyclingnews in Nanning. "There have been a lot of races earlier this season where I’ve struggled with illness but I pushed through them. It’s the tough moments that allow you to grow."

"I’d say probably moving to Tuscany was a bigger step than going from juniors to racing professionally," Leonard said. "I didn’t speak the language, I had no clue of what I was getting into. That was a reality check. Joining Ineos was a big step, but I was already in the environment and I knew more or less what I was getting into."

"Racing in Hungary with Egan was a special experience, and I was able to do my job quite well there. I was happy to help the team and just learn as much as I could from him," Leonard highlights the chance to support the former Tour de France champion. "Next season will be about continuing my progress and increasing my level physically, just to be more in the finals of races."