Jayco AlUla under review: Simon Yates' departure (and O'Connor's arrival) might be perfect timing

Let’s be honest: one-day races aren’t Jayco AlUla’s strongest suit. Seven of the team’s 25 victories came from one-day races, and two of those were national titles. That said, Michael Matthews’ win at the GP Québec was a standout. The 34-year-old Australian also came close in Milan-San Remo, finishing second, and was controversially denied a podium spot in the Tour of Flanders due to an irregular sprint. Across the season, Matthews delivered consistently high performances, including a 10th place in the Amstel Gold Race.

The team’s sprinters chipped in as well. Dylan Groenewegen secured victories at the Tour of Limburg and the Gran Premi Valencia, along with multiple podium finishes: second at the Bredene Koksijde Classic, third at the Scheldeprijs, and second at the Omloop van het Houtland. Being beaten by teammate Max Walscheid in that last race softened the blow, but with a little more luck, Groenewegen could have bagged more wins. Caleb Ewan, meanwhile, returned to the team hoping to rediscover his form but the 30-year-old 'pocket rocket' fell far short of expectations, showing none of the spark that once defined him.

Overall, the Australian team didn’t shine in one-day races. Simon Yates was virtually invisible, and Filippo Zana only managed the occasional top finish. But in the biggest races, the team did not usually compete for the marbles. However, Davide De Pretto emerged as a bright spot. The young Italian was at the front from January until the end of October and gave his employer hope for the coming year. The 22-year-old De Pretto showed he was strong on the hills and had a nifty sprint.

In previous years, Jayco AlUla has always managed to make its mark in the grand tours. With the Yates brothers and Esteban Chaves under their wings, they once had three potential podium contenders. Those days are long gone: out of that trio, only Simon Yates remains. And he was a shadow of the Vuelta winner from 2018. The Brit entered the Tour de France with high ambitions but only managed twelfth place in the general classification, 40 minutes behind winner Pogacar. Additionally, the 32-year-old climber won the AlUla Tour in February, but if that’s your biggest achievement of the season...

In 2024, the team didn't record a single top-ten finish in the grand tours. That seems like a disaster, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. With Groenewegen’s stage win in the Tour, a big goal was achieved. In the Vuelta, the team seemed headed for disappointment until Eddie Dunbar, who had already said goodbye to his GC hopes in the first week, suddenly secured two stage wins. The Irishman was last year’s surprise for the team in the Giro, and this year, he once again showed himself at the front.

Beyond that, it was mostly a matter of scraping together results left and right for Jayco AlUla. Luke Plapp was strong at times but not consistent enough. In his Giro debut, his GC hopes were quickly dashed, but he redeemed himself decently with good time trials and an aggressive racing style. Victories in races like the Tour of Slovakia, the Tour of the Alps and the Tour of Burgos were welcome: it’s important to remember that the Australian team operates on one of the smallest budgets in the WorldTour.

That last point always makes it difficult to judge a team fairly. If you look at the performances without considering budgets, Jayco AlUla lands near the lower ranks (as shown by their fourteenth place in the UCI rankings). But the fact is, the Australian team has done reasonably well. With 25 victories, including four in the WorldTour and four major wins, there’s something to applaud. Did they perform better in the past? Of course. But overall, you can’t call it a bad year. That’s why our editorial team gave them a 6.4. And it could have been much higher if stars like Yates and Ewan had performed at their usual level.

Arguably the biggest transfer in the entire peloton is one from Jayco AlUla. Simon Yates will leave after eleven years of loyal service. With a Vuelta win and two stage wins there, six stages in the Giro, and two in the Tour, the pocket climber was perhaps the most important rider for the team during that time. Normally, his departure would be a huge blow, but his replacement is nothing short of remarkable. Ben O'Connor, fresh off his second place in the Vuelta and in peak form, has been brought in. With an Australian leader, the team will be more than thrilled!

In terms of outgoing transfers, the team has managed to keep the damage relatively limited. And the incoming talent looks promising. Alongside O'Connor, Koen Bouwman has been brought in from Visma | Lease a Bike. He hopes to hunt for stage wins in grand tours again. His compatriot Jelte Krijnsen is a bit of a wildcard, but riding for Parkhotel Valkenburg at the continental level, the 23-year-old rider already secured four professional victories, including a stage in the Tour of Denmark and the Druivenkoers-Overijse (albeit as a trainee with Q36.5 Pro Cycling).

Paul Double (Polti-Kometa) and Robert Donaldson (Trinity Racing) are two Brits who have made a name for themselves in smaller races, with notable finishes in the Tour of Turkey and the Tour of Britain, respectively. But Alan Hatherly is the biggest wildcard. The South African won bronze in mountain biking at the Paris Olympics and later became world champion. By moving to the WorldTour, he shows he has ambitions on the road. He certainly has talent in abundance, but what is his ceiling?

Incoming: Ben O'Connor (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Koen Bouwman (Visma | Lease a Bike), Jasha Sütterlin (Bahrain Victorious), Paul Double (Team Polti Kometa), Jelte Krijnsen (Parkhotel Valkenburg), Patrick Gamper (Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe), Asbjørn Hellemose (SWATT Club), Robert Donaldson (Trinity Racing), Alan Hatherly (Cannondale Factory Racing).

Outgoing (provisional list): Simon Yates (Visma | Lease a Bike), Lucas Hamilton (INEOS Grenadiers), Callum Scotson (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale), Jan Maas (Cofidis), Jesús David Peña (not yet known), Blake Quick (not yet known), Rudy Porter (not yet known), Lawson Craddock (retired).

After such an active transfer period, it’s clear that most eyes will be on O’Connor. With his second place in the Vuelta, fourth in the Giro, and silver at the World Championships, he’s shown he can perform well on multiple fronts. The recipe for a successful homecoming story is there: he’ll have to live up to expectations. But with Dunbar, Plapp and Zana (eleventh in the Giro), he won’t have to shoulder all those GC ambitions on his own. In any case, the Australian will need to bring a breath of fresh air, and Yates’ departure may have come at just the right time.

In the sprint department, Groenewegen seems to have solidified his role as the team’s sprint king, thanks in part to Ewan’s disappointing performance. Matthews will occasionally take on sprints, but he’s proven to be more effective in reduced groups; in full bunch sprints, he simply lacks the power. Beyond that, the focus will be on the team’s attackers.

There’s no shortage of those at Jayco AlUla. With De Pretto, Matthews, Mauro Schmid (who had a stellar Vuelta), and potentially Bouwman and Krijnsen, the team can deliver exciting results in the spring. These same names could also come into play in the grand tours, aiming for those much-needed stage wins. The team doesn’t have an abundance of depth, but with a bit of luck, they might find their way back up.

1. Welay Hagos Berhe
2. Koen Bouwman
3. Alessandro De Marchi
4. Davide De Pretto
5. Robert Donaldson
6. Paul Double
7. Eddie Dunbar
8. Luke Durbridge
9. Felix Engelhardt
10. Caleb Ewan
11. Anders Foldager
12. Patrick Gamper
13. Dylan Groenewegen
14. Chris Harper
15. Alan Hatherly
16. Asbjørn Hellemose
17. Michael Hepburn
18. Christopher Juul-Jensen
19. Jelte Krijnsen
20. Michael Matthews
21. Luka Mezgec
22. Kelland O'Brien
23. Ben O'Connor
24. Luke Plapp
25. Elmar Reinders
26. Mauro Schmid
27. Campbell Stewart
28. Jasha Sütterlin
29. Max Walscheid
30. Filippo Zana