Grant recipient Sam Stewart-Ball lighting up the road and track
16-year-old Sam Stewart-Ball’s future is bright, with impressive results and achievements already stacking up in a fledgling career.
In 2024, Sam did incredibly well to earn top spot in the Youth A / Under 16 Wales Circuit Championships in Pembrey and take the Welsh Championships Jersey, a result accompanied by a podium finish at the Otley Town Crits as he finished third in front of huge crowds.
This year, Sam has represented Team Wales on the track in the Netherlands, and has recently returned from the Vlamertinge and De Klijte-Heuvelland in Belgium, where he finished ninth overall and took third on KOM as he raced with with Shibden ApexRT – a team he looks forward to touring with across Europe and the UK.
Cycling has long been an important part of Sam’s life; while he now trains five or six days a week, his love affair with the racing began at Rhyl’s Marsh Tracks when he was just eight years of age.
“I joined Rhos On Sea Cycling Club, went to club junior training sessions and then realised that there were local races,” he recounted. “I started racing against friends locally and really enjoyed it and realised that I was okay at it! I would say that this is where my love for racing began.
“Also, watching Geraint Thomas win the Tour De France in 2018 when I was only 10 was special, and then receiving a personal video message from him after I completed a 190-mile bike ride with my dad from Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle was amazing!”
Despite his mounting success and love for the sport, Sam’s journey to where he is now hasn’t been straightforward, with the financial demands of road and track racing proving a barrier.
Geraint Thomas Cycling Trust funding has supported Sam’s endeavours, helping to cover race entries, travel and accommodation costs, for example, and ultimately supporting him to compete and thrive at the highest level he can.
“I was made aware of the funding through a friend and realised that it could help with the costs, so applied,” he stated. “The biggest help from the funding has been travelling for training and races, I think.
“The support has helped me attend regular Wales Cycling Academy sessions in Newport,” Sam told us, “which are essential, especially for practicing Team Pursuit on the track.”
The GTCT is thrilled to have been able to support Sam, a prime example of how we aim to remove financial barriers to help individuals thrive on bikes.
And as he continues to impress, Sam has his sights firmly set on the future.
“My ultimate goal is to one day represent Wales at the Commonwealth Games and Great Britain in the Olympics,” he confirmed, “as well as make it onto a World Tour Team.
“In the short term, my goal is to perform well in the juniors and hopefully get offered a place and contract with a World Tour Development Team. I also want to continue representing Wales on the Track and Road!”
If you want to apply for support to help with the cost of riding your bike, whether it’s competitively or for leisure, click here.
If you want to support the work of the GTCT, click here.
