Archie Whittemore, a young cyclist from North Yorkshire, has finished his first European road race following support from local housebuilder Mulgrave Properties.

The 17-year-old, who became the Under 14 Yorkshire Circuit Champion in 2023, is currently competing in his first season of competitive road racing, as he has joined the Harrogate Nove Race Team as a junior for this year.

On supporting Whittemore’s journey, the sales director for Mulgrave Properties, Debbie Foster, said: “As a company born and bred in Yorkshire, we are proud to be supporting local lad Archie to compete on the European stage in his first season of competitive cycling.”

Last month saw Whittemore, who has been a ‘keen cyclist’ since the age of four, finish 24th in the youth category for first-year riders at the Gipuzkoa Klasikoa, which features more than 160 young cyclists from across Europe.

He was able to compete in this event thanks to a £350 donation from Mulgrave Properties, whose Maple Court development is located in Archie’s home village of Tholthorpe, which covered the cost of both his travel and accommodation.

On finishing the Gipuzkoa Klasikoa, Whittemore said: “Overall, I’m very happy to finish my first ever UCI race after some tough events, and we also had an amazing team performance. I’d like to say a big thank to everyone at Mulgrave for supporting me. Without them it would have been very difficult for me to take part in this race.”

The youngster, who earned a place on British Cycling’s National School of Racing Programme in 2025, is aiming to compete in 14 major races in 2026 including 8 in Europe, in the hopes of catching ‘the eye of a professional team with a view to earning a contract after he turns 18’.

His result in Spain at the end of May means that he was able to complete a race on the continent on the third attempt after crashes and illness cut short his events in Belgium and France.

On achieving his first finish of his current campaign, Whittemore said: “The European races are where you can step up to the next level in terms of getting seen by the bigger professional teams. My ambition is to make a living out of cycling and to be picked up by a professional team in 2028. Because of the costs involved, without the support of Mulgrave and other sponsors, I would probably only be able to compete in two European races max, so this could make a massive difference to where my career goes.”

Whittemore finished the Gipuzkoa Klasikoa, a race that is held over more than 100 miles of ‘mainly hilly terrain’, in four hours, 38 minutes and 38 seconds, leaving him ranked 71st overall.

However, the result wasn’t the only thing to celebrate for the youngster, as he set a new ’10-minute power personal best’, during the second stage of the race before he climbed 19 places in the ‘gruelling 67-mile test’ of stage three.

On supporting the start of Whittemore’s career, the sales director for Mulgrave Properties, Debbie Foster, said: “We have been so impressed by Archie’s ambition, commitment and determination in pursuing his dream of becoming a professional cyclist, and we are really pleased that, after a difficult couple of races, his hard work has finally been rewarded with his first finish in a European race.”

Mulgrave Properties has now completed construction work at Maple Court, a small collection of four properties built on land off Flawith Road in Tholthorpe.

For more information about the homes at the development, visit https://www.mulgraveproperties.co.uk/developments/maple-court/