LEICESTER Lion Cubs are delighted to confirm their first two signings for 2026 – and both are riders who have worn the club’s colours in the past.
Double National Development League title winner Tom Spencer returns to the Lion Cubs after a year at Middlesbrough, whilst heat-leader Freddy Hodder makes the move from Belle Vue having had a spell with the Fox Cubs last season.
Spencer, who turns 26 later this month, spent four years with Leicester from 2021-24 and was part of their title triumphs in 2022 and 2024.
He progressed throughout that stint to the stage where he was coming onto the radar of Championship promoters, and he has a team place at that level with Plymouth this year.
Lion Cubs manager Jen Crossland said: “Tom is really part of the family at Leicester, he rode for us for several years and it was really only the points limit which meant he missed out last season.
“He’s very popular with the crowd and I’m sure they will be delighted to welcome him back. He knows his way around our track and every year he was with us he got steadily better, so I’m looking forward to working with him this season.”
19-year-old Hodder has raced for Belle Vue in the NDL since entering the sport in 2022, and he is now firmly established as a heat-leader at that level with an average of over eight.
He has two seasons of Championship experience with Berwick and Glasgow behind him, and he returns to the Ashfield club in the second tier this year.
Crossland said: “Freddy is another rider well known to us at Leicester and there’s no doubt the results of the Fox Cubs team improved once we brought him in last summer.
“When it became clear that Belle Vue weren’t going to be racing in the NDL this year, Freddy was an obvious rider for us to look to sign, and we were pleased to be able to get it done.
“He’s got plenty of experience behind him now and he has the potential to be one of the top riders in this league.”
More Lion Cubs team news will follow over the coming days.
