Impressive scouting by Jayco-AlUla: Can the British newcomer live up to the hype: "I'm aware I'm a late bloomer"

A great transfer for Paul Double. The British climber, who has been steadily climbing the ranks in cycling over the last few years and achieved several notable results this season in smaller tours, sees his progress rewarded with a top transfer. Jayco-AlUla has signed the climber for two years. This season he rode for Polti-Kometa. Double's career is reminiscent of Bart Lemmen's, who made his Tour debut last July riding for Visma | Lease a Bike.

Double, too, is a late bloomer at 28 years old. He also rode for Human Powered Health, just like Lemmen. And now Double is making his move to the WorldTour. This season, he achieved a podium finish in the Tour of Turkey, won by Frank van den Broek, and also recorded top-ten finishes in the tours of Abruzzo and Slovenia. These performances have caught the attention of WorldTour teams.

"We have followed Double and his progress for a wile, and he is a rider we are adding to strengthen our climbing group for 2025. He is a talented climber and domestique, but he will also have his own opportunities to achieve results with us, in smaller races and even one-day races with tough finishes. He has experience, and it will be great to see how he transitions to the WorldTour environment and what more he can achieve," the Australian team's website reads.

Double himself is thrilled with the transfer. "I'm very excited to sign with Team Jayco AlUla for 2025 and 2026. It's a proud moment for me personally to join such an established WorldTour team after the somewhat interesting path I've taken to get to this point. This team feels perfect for me; I didn't want to join just any WorldTour team."

"I'm a climber and have always done well in stage races, but also in hilly races," said Double, who also reflected on his unusual development. "I know I entered the sport later than most, but I also see my trajectory as a rider positively increasing at a pace I didn't experience in my younger years. That’s why I'm grateful for this opportunity."