Meet the Ribble Outliers: Jenson Young - Cyclo-Cross Specialist Turns Gravel Pro

One of the youngest Outliers, Jenson, isn’t just here to make up the numbers — he’s bringing some serious firepower. With a background in cyclo-cross and a fearless approach to racing, gravel gives him the freedom to ride on instinct and push his limits. Surrounded by seasoned teammates and fueled by raw ambition, Jenson is ready to make his mark on the gravel scene.

1. What first hooked you into cycling - and kept you in it??

Competitive cycling runs in the family. After all, I had been watching my dad and uncle compete in cyclocross races since I was about 5. I competed in my first cyclocross race at age 7. Nothing in particular inspired me to take it up. I just fell into it, and just loved riding my bike. I’ve never really had any desire to do anything else as much as racing my bike. I definitely have a competitive spirit that motivates me and keeps me driven, especially now that cycling is more of a job rather than a hobby.

2. You’ve enjoyed success in CX (Cyclo-cross) already - what made you want to explore gravel?

I feel like Gravel suits my strengths even more than cyclocross. The combination of longer endurance efforts and less explosivity with the technical aspect is definitely something that I enjoy. The atmosphere is much more relaxed and friendly, it’s definitely got a much more positive vibe than road racing, and everyone is willing to help each other. Every race and course has different challenges with the variation of courses, distances, types of gravel etc, it keeps it really interesting.

3. What's been the biggest shift since moving over to gravel so far?

I think the biggest thing for me has been learning to deal with problems in a race situation. In particular, the mental aspect of dealing with them and to not give up. Mainly because I’ve found myself experiencing quite a lot of bad luck so far. Typically, in a CX or road race, I could jump on a spare bike and be back at the front of a race within minutes. Whereas, in gravel racing, this isn’t the case. Physically, the races are much longer and more demanding than anything I’ve ever done before. However, I feel like I’m adapting quickly and improving with each race over the longer distances.

4. What's been the steepest learning curve in your transtion?

There is a lot of crossover from the road racing and cyclocross I have done previously. However, this is like doing a completely new sport in some ways, so it is like a fresh start and learning something completely new. I’m still yet to find out what best suits me in terms of race distance, style of gravel and terrain. But that makes each race more exciting, and with the elite level of the Gravel scene currently, I’m definitely straight in the deep end. Yet, I already feel I’m holding my own against some of the world's best.

5. What does being part of the Ribble Outliers team mean to you?

Having an experienced team with so much shared knowledge is invaluable to me, especially as I’m so new to gravel. The advice and support I receive has definitely had a huge impact on me as a rider. I’ve developed and learnt so much in a short space of time and I’m looking forward to turning that into some good results and showing the team what I’m capable of.

Having a team with some of the best equipment and sponsors gives the us (the riders) the best chance for success and with such a good atmosphere I think the possibilities are endless.

6. What are you most looking forward to this season?

I’m definitely most looking forward to and hoping for a good result in the national championships. But I’ll definitely give my best and get stuck into every race, as I’ve found out already that you never know which way lady luck will go in some of the races. However, as I’m so competitive, I’m always looking to race for a good result and not just try ‘get round’, even if I don’t think the race is suited to me. Personally I would rather post a bad result racing for the win than an average result racing conservatively.

7. If you could achieve one thing this season what would it be?

I already feel like I’ve matured a lot this season, racing and learning how to deal with problems, pick myself up and keep focused no matter what has happened. Having a teammate like Metheven has definitely helped in this regard, and he gives some excellent advice. From someone who is so mentally resilient, seeing it first hand in races, and only ever DNF’ing one race even after starting while he was quite ill, is really someone I can look up to and learn a lot from. I believe in myself and my ability to get some good results and push myself to the limits. As much as I want to do this for myself, it is also really nice to be able to give something back and repay the team, sponsors and everyone who supports us.

8. If you could sum up this new chapter in one sentence?

In the fastest growing discipline where you can’t hide, disappointment is often more common than success, however, when you don’t win, you learn.

Meet ex-World Tour pro and Ribble Outlier rider Sophie Wright. With a background in off-road and top-level road racing, Sophie is looking to make her mark on the gravel scene in 2025. Find out more about Sophie here.

From conquering enduro MTB stages to guiding riders as a seasoned coach, Ben Thomas brings unmatched race know-how and cycling mastery to the Ribble Outliers gravel squad. Discover Ben’s story and how his expertise fuels our gravel ambitions here.