The cycling season begins in Australia in mid-January. For Jayco-AlUla, that home match is always the first point of reference on the calendar. The Australians did not sit idle during the summer and autumn and clearly have more trump cards.
All in all, it’s been a bit quiet since the start of the transfer market, but Jayco – AlUla wants to break out of the middle tier in 2024 and wants to sniff out the top 5 of the WorldTour.
A significant injection of quality has been made in recent months with Saudi pocket money.
The Australian team didn’t have a lean 2023 with 17 wins, but the quality of the winners was nothing to write home about.
With only 4 WorldTour wins and a lack of consistency, team manager Brent Copeland was left a little hungry.
Michael Matthews and Filippo Zana won their places at the Giro, but the basket was not filled at the Tour and Vuelta.
Ranking leaders Simon Yates (4th in the Tour) and Eddie Dunbar (7th in the Giro) did not miss their appointments, but they also often remained unnoticed.
The results are reflected in the shirt: a little gray and anonymous, good for 13th place in the 2023 team ranking.
Simon Yates during the family celebration with his brother at the Tour.
The roles in the sprint are divided
The selection had to be expanded mainly in terms of breadth. After a disappointing year, Dylan Groenewegen’s sprint is put to the test by the return of Caleb Ewan.
Groenewegen climbed better in 2023 than he ever had and held his own in tough finals, but that came at the expense of his sprint speed. That explosiveness had clearly subsided. Will he go back to the old recipe for success?
The Australian prodigal son is happy as a child to be back in the family nest, but Ewan must first draw on his best legs and his professional zeal to reclaim the lead in the sprint.
“Mentally, Caleb is in good shape,” Copeland says. “A stage win at the Tour Down Under could put him completely on the right track. Together with Dylan, he will have plenty of sprint opportunities.”
This may be the biggest problem for Copeland and co: how to reconcile the ambitions of all the leaders? Especially on a big tour like the Tour.
Groenewegen and Ewan will both want to claim the ticket, but the Dutchman will prevail. Ewan can rehabilitate himself at the Giro.
As a leader, Yates seems to have a taste for yellow, but which team from the current group still dares to approach the Tour with a double agenda?
Yates is not a real challenger for the G4 at the Tour and is best not to tickle Jasper Philipsen with only half a sprint train.
Caleb Ewan joined Lotto at the end of 2018, now he’s back home.
Complex puzzle
Let’s not lose sight of Michael Matthews. 2023 went awry with two Covid infections and several accidents, but Bling still has divine status in his homeland. Last winter he hit the reset button and left the bike alone for a month.
With a Grand Départ in the hills of Italy, Matthews will also be raising his finger, which will only increase the number of roosters in Australian breeding. In Milan-Sanremo he teams up with Ewan.
To make the program more streamlined, the experience of Allan Peiper was used in mid-2023. The councilor sees an old acquaintance appear, the foreman Valerio Piva.
Manager Copeland speaks of “the strongest core of cyclists in recent years”. With new contracts for Mauro Schmid, Lucas Plapp, Max Walscheid and the talented Davide De Pretto, you can’t blame him.
Jayco-AlUla has enough power to play a significant role in many sectors, with the exception of the Flemish classics.
However, it will have to find the right balance with its mix of permanent banners and ambitious newcomers. What are the priorities and how do you want to make the most of them?
“The more leaders you have, the harder it becomes to manage,” Copeland admits. “But the puzzle is gradually being pieced together.”
Michael Matthews poses with the new gear.
- the greatest loss: the Italian connection did not produce sparks and fires. Kevin Colleoni and Matteo Sobrero have a lot to offer, but they haven’t earned a place in this team’s history books.
- It’s striking: it’s not always about arguments as in the case of Cian Uijtdebroeks. Lucas Plapp was still under contract with Ineos, but the lure of his homeland was too strong. The two teams and the driver reached an agreement without a mud bath.
- revelation: Mauro Schmid couldn’t spread his wings enough at the Soudal-Quick Step, but with some fresh air the Swiss could finally emerge and become the revelation of the JA (spring).
Debutants Caleb Ewan (Aus) Lotto-Dstny Max Walscheid (Ger) Cofidis Mauro Schmid (Zwi) Soudal-Quick Step Luke Plapp (Aus) Ineos Grenadiers Davide De Pretto (Ita) Zalf Euromobil Fior Anders Foldager (Den) Biesse-Carrera Starters Zdenek Stybar (Tsj) stops Tsgabu Grmay (Eri) stops Lukas Pöstelberger (Oos) ? Matteo Sobrero (Ita) Bora-Hansgrohe Kevin Colleoni (Ita) Intermarché-Wanty Alexandre Balmer (Swi) ?
2024-01-06 10:37:46
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