Daniel "Dan" McLay (born 3 January 1992) is a British

racing cyclist Cycle sport is competitive physical activity using bicycles. There are several categories of bicycle racing including road bicycle racing, cyclo-cross, mountain bike racing, track cycling, BMX, and cycle speedway. Non-racing cycling spo ...

, competing in road, track and cyclo-cross, who currently rides for

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road bicycle racing, road cycling, the UCI World Tou ...

. His first season as a professional was 2015, racing for French pro-continental and

2014 Tour de France The 2014 Tour de France was the 101st edition of the race, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race included 21 stages, starting in Leeds, Yorkshire, United Kingdom, on 5 July and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris on 27 July. The race ...

wildcard outfit . Primarily a sprinter, McLay is also competent in the Flemish racing scene and has a particular affinity to the Northern Classics. He was named in the start list for the 2016 Tour de France.

Career

Junior career

Born in

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, McLay moved to the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

as an infant and was brought up in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

. McLay began cycling competitively at the age of six. Following his success as under 16 rider at the

British National Track Championships The British National Track Championships are a Track cycling event held annually and organised by the national governing body for track cycling (and other forms of cycling) in Great Britain, British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federat ...

, he represented

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

at the 2007

European Youth Olympic Festival The European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) is a biennial multi-sport event for youth (14 to 18 years old) athletes from the 50 member countries of the association of European Olympic Committees. The festival has a summer edition, held for the fi ...

, competing in the criterium and road race events. He says that he was not very good at sports that require coordination as a school-boy and thus this fuelled his desire to continue competing in cycling. McLay was selected to represent Britain at the Junior European Cyclo-cross Championships in 2008, where he finished last. In 2009, McLay became a member of

British Cycling British Cycling (formerly the British Cycling Federation) is the main national sport governing body, governing body for cycle sport in United Kingdom, Great Britain. It administers most competitive cycling in Great Britain, the Channel Islands a ...

's Olympic Academy. McLay went on to win the bronze medal in the Madison at the

UEC European Track Championships The European Track Cycling Championships are a set of elite level competition events held annually for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling, exclusively for European cyclists, and regulated by the European Cycling Union (UEC ...

with partner Sam Harrison. He also represented Great Britain at the 2009 Junior

UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships The UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships are the world championships for cyclo-cross organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Starting in 2022, seven events are organized each year – UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships – Men's elite ...

. In 2010 he became World Champion in the Junior World Madison Track Championships, with Simon Yates. In 2014 he won a stage of the

Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir () is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Felice Gimondi, Joo ...

(). He also came seventh in

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after th ...

stages, a strong showing given that sprinters such as

Mark Cavendish Sir Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Manx people, Manx retired professional cyclist. As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialised in the Madison (cycling), madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines; as a road racer he ...

Marcel Kittel Marcel Kittel (born 11 May 1988) is a German former racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2011 and 2019 for the , and squads. As a junior, he specialised in time trials, even winning a bronze medal in the World Championships for cycli ...

Mark Renshaw Mark Renshaw (born 22 October 1982) is a retired Australian racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2004 and 2019 for the , , , , and teams. His most notable wins are the general classification of the 2011 Tour of Qatar, and the one-d ...

and Adam Blythe were also competing, although he said that seventh was not a representation of what he could have achieved.

Professional career

Bretagne–Séché Environnement (2015–17)

He signed for the professional continental team for the 2015 season. He won his first professional victory in Stage 3 of La Tropicale Amissa Bongo. In the first

UCI World Tour The UCI WorldTour is the premier men's elite road cycling tour, sitting above the UCI ProSeries and various regional UCI Continental Circuits. It refers to both the tour of 38 events and, until 2019, an annual ranking system based upon perfor ...

race of his career,

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional road bicycle racing, cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the ...

, McLay came eighth in stage 5. His second professional win came at the

2016 Grand Prix de Denain The 2016 Grand Prix de Denain was the 58th edition of the Grand Prix de Denain cycle race and was held on 14 April 2016. The race started and finished in Denain. The race was won by Daniel McLay. General classification References 2016 ...

, a French 1.HC race, weaving his way from distance through the centre of the bunch to win it on the line. His second win came a month later in the Grand Prix de la Somme, beating

Nacer Bouhanni Nacer Bouhanni (born 25 July 1990) is a French former professional racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2011 to 2023. A sprinter, he was the winner of the 2012 French National Road Race Championships. Although his first Grand To ...

into 2nd place. Due to those two wins, McLay was selected to take part in his first

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

, and finished in the Top 10 in his first sprint finish. After another two top 10 finishes, McLay finished on the podium on Stage 6 behind

and

. In October 2017 McLay won the Tour de l'Eurométropole, pipping Anthony Turgis to the line after Turgis started his celebration early following a solo attack from the front group.

EF Education First–Drapac (2018–19)

After his Tour de l'Eurométropole win, it was announced that McLay would join the WorldTour peloton by signing with for the 2018 season.

Major results

Road

;2010 : National Junior Championships ::1st Road race ::2nd

Time trial In many racing sports, an sportsperson, athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial (TT) against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athle ...

: 1st Overall Junior Tour of Wales : 2nd

Paris–Roubaix Juniors Paris–Roubaix Juniors (or Le Pavé de Roubaix) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in northern France for junior cyclists (aged 17 and 18) ahead of the senior Paris–Roubaix classic race. It is organised by the Vélo-Club d ...

: 6th Overall

Driedaagse van Axel The SPIE Internationale Junioren Driedaagse van Axel () is a junior (ages 17–18) multi-day cycling race held annually in the Netherlands. It was part of the UCI Junior World Cup from 1993 to 2007. Winners References External links

* Cy ...

::1st Stage 1 ;2011 : 1st

Grand Prix de Waregem The Grand Prix Waregem was a cycling race held annually in Belgium. It was part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale ...

: 6th

Dorpenomloop Rucphen Dorpenomloop Rucphen is a men's one-day cycle racing, cycle race which takes place in the Netherlands and was rated by the Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI as 1.2. It forms part of the UCI Europe Tour. Winners Ref ...

;2012 : 1st De Drie Zustersteden : 1st Grand Prix José Dubois : 2nd Kernen Omloop Echt-Susteren ;2013 : 2nd

: 4th

, National Under-23 Championships : 4th

Paris–Chauny Paris–Chauny is a one-day cycling race held in France. It was first held in 1922 and has been part of the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union C ...

: 5th

Ster van Zwolle The Ster van Zwolle is a single-day bicycle road race held annually in Zwolle, in the Dutch region of Overijssel. Since 2011, it is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Winners ...

: 5th Textielprijs Vichte : 6th Overall Paris–Arras Tour ;2014 : 1st Overall Ronde van Oost-Vlaanderen ::1st Stage 2 : Tour de Normandie ::1st Points classification ::1st Stage 3 : 1st Stage 3

: 2nd

: 3rd

, National Under-23 Championships : 4th Overall Paris–Arras Tour ::1st Stage 3 : 5th Grand Prix de la ville de Pérenchies : 7th

Paris–Tours Espoirs Paris–Tours Espoirs () is a French single-day road bicycle racing, road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The race is held as a 1.2U rac ...

: 10th Beaumont Trophy ;2015 (1 pro win) : 1st Otley Grand Prix : 1st Stage 3 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo : 6th

Brussels Cycling Classic The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a classic cycle races, semi classic European Road bicycle racing, bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first ...

: 7th

Paris–Bourges Paris–Bourges is a French road bicycle race. The race originally started in Paris and ran to the town of Bourges in the Région Centre. However, in recent year with the length of races shortened it has become impossible to link the two cities a ...

: 8th Overall

Tour de Picardie The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a se ...

: 8th Velothon Berlin ;2016 (2) : 1st

Grand Prix de Denain Grand Prix de Denain is a professional road bicycle racing, cycle road race held in Denain, France. For 10 years from 2005 the race was organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, before becoming a 1.HC event for th ...

: 1st Grand Prix de la Somme : 4th

Grand Prix d'Isbergues Grand Prix d'Isbergues is a professional cycle road race held in Isbergues, Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which ...

: 5th Overall

: 10th Overall

Boucles de la Mayenne The Boucles de la Mayenne is a road bicycle race held annually in the Mayenne department and Pays de la Loire region in France. It was first held in 1975 and from 2006 until 2019, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race ...

: 10th

Scheldeprijs The Scheldeprijs is a road bicycle racing, cycling race in Flanders and the Netherlands which starts in Terneuzen, crosses the Scheldt River, and finishes in Schoten. Until 2018 it was held entirely in Belgium. The event, ranked as a UCI race cla ...

;2017 (2) : 1st Tour de l'Eurométropole : 1st Trofeo Playa de Palma : 3rd Trofeo Felanitx–Ses Salines–Campos–Porreres ;2018 (1) : 1st Stage 4

Circuit de la Sarthe The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 H ...

;2019 (2) : 1st Stage 1

Herald Sun Tour The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six-day event. It is now held annuall ...

: 1st Stage 2

Tour of Guangxi The Tour of Guangxi (officially known as the GREE-Tour of Guangxi for sponsorship purposes) is an annual professional Road bicycle racing, cycling race held in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China. The m ...

;2020 (2) :

Volta a Portugal The Volta a Portugal (), also known as Volta a Portugal em Bicicleta (), is an annual multi-stage road bicycle racing competition held in Portugal. The competition takes place during a two-week span. History The competition started in 1927, alt ...

::1st Stages 5 & 6 : 8th

Bretagne Classic The Bretagne Classic, also called Bretagne Classic Ouest-France, is an elite classic cycle races, cycling classic held annually in late summer around the Brittany, Breton village of Plouay in western France. The race was originally named Grand-P ...

;2021 : 2nd Ronde van Limburg : 6th

: 7th Elfstedenronde : 8th Overall

: 9th

Circuit de Wallonie Circuit de Wallonie is a cycling race held annually in Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherla ...

;2022 : 4th

Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-day road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium. It is held one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, on the last Sunday of February or the first of March, and completes the opening weekend of the Be ...

: 4th

Heistse Pijl The Heistse Pijl is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June around the municipality of Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium. Since 2016, the race is organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Victor Van Schil, ...

: 7th

;2023 : 4th

: 10th

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

;2024 : 10th Surf Coast Classic

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Track

;2008 : 1st Scratch, National Junior Championships ;2009 : National Junior Championships ::1st Madison (with George Atkins) ::1st

Points race A points race is a mass start track cycling event involving large numbers of riders simultaneously on track. It was an Olympic event for men from 1984 to 2008 and for women from 1996 to 2008. Since 2012, the points race has been one of the omniu ...

::2nd

Kilo Kilo may refer to: *kilo- (k-), a metric prefix denoting a factor of 103 *Kilogram (kg), a metric unit of mass Music *Kilo, a funk/R&B band from Bloomington/Indianapolis/Indiana *KILO, a Colorado radio station *''El Kilo'', a 2005 album by th ...

::3rd

Individual pursuit The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track. It is held at over for men and women. The riders start at the same time and set off to complete the rac ...

::3rd Scratch : 3rd Bronze medal europe

Madison, UEC European Junior Championships (with Sam Harrison) ;2010 : UCI World Junior Championships ::1st Rainbow Jersey Track

Madison (with Simon Yates) ::2nd Silver medal uci

Team pursuit : National Junior Championships ::1st Scratch ::2nd

: 2nd Madison,

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or competition, contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the be ...

(with Sam Harrison)

Cyclo-cross

;2008–2009 : 3rd National Junior Championships ;2009–2010 : 3rd Junior Bredene

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:McLay, Daniel 1992 births Living people English male cyclists British male cyclists Sportspeople from Leicester Cyclists from Wellington City New Zealand emigrants to the United Kingdom 21st-century English sportsmen