Cycling: The Australian team Jayco AlUla had a pretty decent year in 2024. They achieved many victories and many podiums. The experienced professionals were mainly responsible for this. It will be the same in 2025. The new GC captain is Ben O'Connor, who replaces Simon Yates.
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Jayco AlUla 2024: Under the Radar
The Jayco AlUla team has only lost one position in the UCI ranking of teams compared to last year. In terms of points, they have also lost very few points. This means that the Australian team continues to fly under the radar. The men from Jayco AlUla are hardly listed as favorites in any races. In the end, however, they often end up in the top places. In total, they achieved 25 victories and 32 other podium finishes - a really good result. The old hands were as strong as usual Dylan Groenewegen and Michael Matthews, who have achieved good results on flat stages and classics. Among other things, Groenewegen won a stage in the Tour de France. Matthews was successful at the GP Quebec, but just missed a small sensation at Milan-Sanremo. The development of Eddie Dunbar and Lucas Plapp must be assessed positively. The two climbers were active and aggressive. Dunbar was then rewarded with two stage victories at the Vuelta a Espana. A safe bet in terms of points remains Simon Yachts. The Briton won the AlUla Tour, which was important for the sponsor, but narrowly missed the top ten in the overall ranking at the Tour de France, finishing twelfth.
Ben O'Connor instead of Simon Yates
If we look at the age structure of Jayco AlUla's squad, we see a few problems. Most of the key players are over 30 years old and are at or past their peak. Something had to be done on the transfer market. However, the club still doesn't want to rely on youth. Only two of the nine new signings are under 25 years old. Paul Double, Patrick Gamper, Jasha Sütterlin and Koen Bouwmann The team has at least brought in well-known professionals who have been part of the racing bike circus for quite some time. However, they are not victorious riders. They are supposed to support the top riders already present – and newcomers Ben O'Connor. The Australian is Jayco AlUla’s great hope and is expected to Simon yates The British are attracted to Visma – LaB. Lucas Hamilton, Lawson Craddock and Amund Jansen are leaving the team. Overall, apart from the GC captain, not much will change. The old hands will have to get the necessary results again.