The Jayco-Alula team held their team presentation in Adelaide on the eve of the Tour Down Under, highlighting their Australian roots and DNA and indicating their intentions to kick-off 2023 and the new three-year WorldTour cycling with early success and a haul of UCI ranking points in their home race.
Jayco-Alula were one of half a dozen teams caught up in the battle to avoid relegation from the WorldTour in 2022 and they do not want to be in a similar position going forward. Team owner Gerry Ryan has promised to fund the team for a further three years, with his Jayco camper van brand replacing his BikeExchange company as title sponsor for the team’s 12th season at the highest level.
Saudi Arabian tourist destination AlUla has stepped-up as a second title sponsor to share the financial burden, with Giant the important bike sponsor for a second year.
Gerry Ryan admitted to Cyclingnews in Adelaide that Jayco-AlUla does not have the budget to compete with the super teams and so win the Tour de France but they are ambitious as a new chapter for the team begins.
“We’ve perhaps got the strongest team we’ve had for three or four years,” Ryan said during the team presentation.
“A team is all about the people. If you surround yourself with the right people, who have the passion for what they do, the success will come. It’s always hard to win, so we should treasure every victory big or small in both the men’s and women’s team. They’re all important.”
The extra sponsorship has allowed the team to bolster its rider and staff for 2023, with long-time lead directeur sportif Matt White stepping into a Head of Performance role across both the men’s and women’s teams.
Michael Matthews and Simon Yates extended their contracts during 2022 and are again the natural leaders of the team in 2023.
Matthews confirmed his talents by winning a stage at the Tour de France and going close on several other occasions. He will again lead Jayco-AlUla in the Classics and sprints, while Yates will return to the Tour de France, perhaps taking aim at the overall classification and definitely targeting stages. Dylan Groenwegen remains as the team’s lead sprinter, virtually guaranteeing a haul of wins.
Jayco-AlUla changed a third of their roster for 2023 as they used their confirmed funding to rebuild for the future. Ten riders moved on and ten new riders came on board. Seven Australians left, including sprinter Kaden Groves, Damien Howson and Alex…
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