Adding to the British cohort in the Women’s program, Josie made the move to the team for the 2024 campaign, making the step up to the WorldTour level after previously riding in the Continental ranks after she came out of the juniors.
Coming into the sport through following in her older siblings’ footsteps, Josie’s sporting idol and one of her biggest inspirations is her sister Emily – who herself was a successful track cyclist and World Champion in the Madison event.
“We started with swimming as my parents thought it was a useful skill and then did a few races. My sister wanted to do extra swimming lessons so did them with the local triathlon club and thought that cycling looked cool, so she then started with that and eventually so did I.”
Josie also did a bit of running when she was in school and competed regionally, but her passion always seemed to be in two-wheeled sports. Doing cyclocross and mountain bike too, she was in the British national squad for the latter in 2019, but since 2021 has focused almost exclusively on road racing with a little bit of cyclocross thrown in too; taking those bike handling skills with her.
“I would say that I am a competitive person so always want to do my best, and I really like that about cycling. I also like how you can go quite far on your bike and explore your whole area; I know pretty much all the roads in my region like the back of my hand. It’s like going for a drive, but cheaper!”
Coming straight out of the juniors into elite racing can often be tough in the Women’s peloton but Josie has made steady progress with some stand-out results. Those include a second place in the British national championships behind Pfeiffer [Georgi] in 2021, fourth on the queen stage at the Tour of Scandinavia in 2022 and the national criterium title that year too. It’s another result for Josie that stands out though.
“I would probably say that my fourth place at Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race was the best day on the bike so far. It has been my best WorldTour one-day result so far and gave me some confidence that I can be up there in races like that.”
Describing herself as a bit of an all-rounder, who is good on the shorter climbs and packs a good sprint, although she jokes that she’s “obviously no Charlotte” in that regards. Yet, as is often the case for young riders, Josie is still unsure as to what type of rider she really is and wants to continue improving overall and take the opportunities to learn and grow with the team before specialising more in the future.
Reflecting on what lies ahead, she wants to make the most of the “big step-up” in both the racing but also the off-the-bike aspects which she describes as “different but exciting”.
The “reserved” but equally “outgoing” and “bubbly” Josie is quieter in nature but comes more out of her shell when she gets to know people, ironically a bit like her pet tortoise, Henry.
Another budding artist in the team, Josie enjoys spending her downtime painting to relax and as a creative outlet. If not then she can be found vibing out to a variety of music or watching Gossip Girl on Netflix, or if you’re really lucky then you might hear her practicing her party trick of different accents.