Young British riders Ethan Hayter and Mark Donovan have joined Team Sky as stagiaires for the remainder of 2018, according to the UCI website.

Listed as ‘Trainees’ under Team Sky’s records on the UCI site, the riders will race for the British registered outfit at Continental level as trainees, though they can continue to race for amateur clubs during the period if they so wish.

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Men’s WorldTour and Pro Conti teams are able to take on three stagiaires from August 1 onwards. Most notably in 2015, Team Sky took on Tao Geoghegan Hart, who later signed a full contract, and Alex Peters, who left the team after signing for 2016, citing “personal issues” and has since retired. Welshman Owain Doull also began life at Sky as a stagiaire in 2016, joining the team as a full-time pro the following year.

Hayter makes the temporary move to Team Sky having joined British Cycling’s 100% Me squad in 2017.

Before that, Hayter raced primarily for London based club VC Londres – which boasts several junior and under-23 National track champions within its ranks – since trying out track riding at Herne Hill Velodrome, aged 13.

Hayter gave up his A-Level studies (maths, physics and chemistry) to join British Cycling’s senior academy in 2016.

Speaking to Cycling Weekly at the time, he said “long term, I see myself on the road… my ambition is to get on a squad and be successful. And I’d like to win at the Olympics.”

“If it doesn’t work out, I’ll go back to school,” he added.

The 19-year-old formed part of British Cycling’s team pursuit squad at the UCI World Championships in March, picking up gold, and he’s also a reigning under-23 European and national team pursuit champion and came fourth at the under-23 British National time trial.

Mark Donovan – also 19-years-old – joined Team Wiggins in 2017 and represented Great Britain at the UCI World Road Championships in Bergen, Norway, in the under-23 race.

This year, he was fourth overall at the Baby Giro, and won the 148 kilometre stage two of the Giro Ciclistico della Valle d’Aosta.

Donovan competed heavily in cyclocross up until 2016, winning a round of the National Trophy series, before moving his focus to the road.