Sam Watson of Leeds will become the FIFTH Yorkshireman on the Ineos Grenadiers roster after signing for the British World Tour squad for next season.

The 22-year-old all-rounder has spent the past two years learning the World Tour ropes with Groupama FDJ, winning a stage of the Tour de Wallonie and making his grand tour debut in the Vuelta a Espana last year.

He showed his sprinting prowess by finishing second to Mark Cavendish at the 2022 British Road Race Championships.

His potential has been spotted and snapped up by Ineos on a two-year contract, where he will ride alongside double Olympic mountain bike champion Tom Pidcock, grand tour domestique Ben Turner and the Swift cousins, Connor and Ben, all of whom are Yorkshiremen.

Leeds's Sam Watson, centre, representing Great Britain at the European Road Championships last year (Picture: Alex Whitehead/SWPix.com)

Watson said: “Joining this team really is a dream come true and I’m beyond excited to start working together and see what we can achieve.

“As a young British kid watching other British riders in this team, it was really inspiring. To now join Ineos and ride alongside some of those big names - and to learn from them is really special.

“I truly believe this is the perfect environment to reach my full potential and learn from the amazing role models within the team. I can’t wait to get stuck in.”

Performance director Scott Drawer said: “It’s great that another talented young British rider is joining our Team. Sam’s still young but he has already demonstrated his talent at the highest level. We know that we’ll be able to offer him the best possible platform to take the important next steps in his career, and together we are excited to unlock his future potential.

“Sam’s range of capabilities will likely see him take a place in our Classics squad and feature in one-week races, where he has the skill to fight for wins."

'A strong Yorkshire': Sam Watson joins Tom Pidcock and the Swifts at Ineos Grenadiers