The Tour de l’Avenir is a unique race in the sense that every young bike rider yearns to race it, but unlike other aspirational races, they hope they only take part once. Because perform well on debut in the most prestigious of U23 races, and WorldTour teams will come knocking. To ride it four times, then, like Bob Donaldson did, is an indication of sorts that though the rider is good, they’re not quite WorldTour-level. So close, yet so far away.
When Donaldson lined up for his fourth appearance in the race in 2024 – becoming one of only eight riders this century to reach the ‘milestone’ – he was the race’s grandfather who was still without a pro contract, while all around him younger riders had secured deals for 2025. “I did l’Avenir and the Tour of Britain four times!” the 22-year-old laughs. “I enjoyed doing them, but it did feel odd. Especially last year racing in the U23 bunch, I was the old man! Which is a weird thing to say.”
Despite an apprenticeship that included a second place at the U23 Paris-Roubaix in 2024 and various top-10s across Europe, for years Donaldson was constantly overlooked for professional contracts, but finally, as his U23 days expired, Jayco-Alula called: they liked the look of the tall, slightly stocky Brit, and believed he could bolster their Classics squad. The elusive WorldTour contract had finally arrived.
“It’s felt like a long time coming, the last two years especially because I was knocking on the door but never winning the big races to secure a contract,” the Donaldson tells Rouleur. “It was a struggle and it was a big relief to get here. I showed consistency, showed I could get results, but even after second at Roubaix and winning the U23 Nationals [in 2024] ahead of some big names, I was still scrambling around, waiting nervously not knowing what was coming.”
Donaldson doubted if his efforts would ever yield the result he so craved. “It was like: if this [the good results] isn’t doing much, what do they really expect?” he says. “Ok, I didn't win massive races consistently, but I was showing I can race in a wide range of races.”
He most notably demonstrated his talent last April, entering the Roubaix velodrome in a three-way sprint to decide the winner of the Espoirs race. “I still think I’m the first loser,” Donaldson says, after being beaten to the cobbled trophy by the German Tim Torn Teutenberg. “Me and Tim did everything the same, but he won the sprint. Cycling works like that – you only get accolades for winning.” The result, however, went a long way to convincing Jayco to sign Donaldson. “I was happy to prove myself in the race I love to do,” he says. “To perform in Roubaix made me happy as a cyclist, and hopefully next year when I get to ride in those types of races [as a pro] it’ll feel more surreal.”
Donaldson is softly-spoken, projecting the aura of a young man grateful to have been afforded the opportunity he feared wouldn’t come, and eager to make sure he’s competing in the sport’s top-tier for the next decade at least. “I don’t think I am the best rider in the world, and though they’re [Jayco] not exactly taking a chance on me, they are hedging their bets that I’ll turn out to be a good rider,” he says. “I had to explain to them what I can bring to the table, that I can race, I can navigate a bunch, punch above my watts. I’m a mature kind of guy, and I have more to me than what they could see on my results.”
Still in the very early throes of the start of his professional career, he’s experiencing a number of pinch-me moments. “Living in Girona and riding my bike with my friends is pretty surreal,” he says. “Learning off and riding with Ethan Hayter, James Knox and others, I feel very lucky to do that, and to then be paid on top of that is really cool. It’s been my dream to turn pro in the WorldTour, so to finally ride past amateurs in Calpe feels like I’ve kind of made it. Way back when, when I was younger riding in the Peak District, I remember the GB Academy guys riding past me and I was like ‘woah, they’re fast!’ Then I made it to the GB Academy [in 2021-22] and I was riding doing similar things.”
One of his heroes is one of Jayco's sports directors, Mat Hayman, the winner of Roubaix in 2016, arguably the least expected victory in the Hell of the North this century. “I get goosebumps watching that,” Donaldson says. Soon it’ll be his turn to take on the cobbles as a pro.
“I’m confident in my racing ability that I can show myself, prove to the team that I am an asset. My ambition for the Classics season is to race as many races as possible to prove my worth and be in a position to get some good results.”
After four years in the U23 ranks, an increasingly rare occurrence for a youth-obsessed sport, Donaldson is understandably eager to get going. “I go through life trying not to stress: I don’t have big highs, nor big lows,” he says. “I am a bit apprehensive because the level of the WorldTour is so high, but I just want to get started.”
