Jayco AlUla strengthened its squad earlier on Wednesday with immediate effect by signing Italian champion Filippo Conca. The former pro from Lotto-Soudal and Q36.5 Pro Cycling couldn’t find a new team last winter but fought his way to the Italian road title through a club team. This suddenly brought him back onto the radar of the Australian outfit, who promptly secured him until the end of 2027. And that’s necessary.
The day after the first rest day during the 2025 Tour de France in Toulouse, several agents in the paddock pointed towards Jayco AlUla’s team bus. "Fifty percent of that team is leaving," one of them told us. Although there are indeed seventeen contracts ending among 29 riders (including Conca, the squad now numbers thirty.), it’s not as severe as it sounds. Still, there’s a clear reason why the Aussies are caught in a bind: the contract with the Saudi region of Al Ula expires this year and has not yet been renewed.
Moreover, there are quite a few rumors within the peloton that team manager Brent Copeland is struggling to keep the team on track A sign of trouble was at least the dismissal of sporting director Matthew White in early May. The Australian had been a founding figure of the team since its inception in 2010, working alongside Dutch sports directors Tristan Hoffman and Pieter Weening. Officially, he left the team due to restructuring, but after that, it fell strangely silent.
Many departures, few new arrivals
Back to the roster. There were seventeen riders with expiring contracts. According to the usually very well-informed British journalist Daniel Benson, Michael Matthews (recovering from a pulmonary embolism) and Anders Foldager have already extended their contracts, but the official announcements are still pending. Additionally, Copeland and co. want to continue with Davide De Pretto, the talented and explosive Italian. Asbjørn Hellemose, Michael Hepburn, and Christopher Juul-Jensen are also expected to remain.
On the other hand, at least Dylan Groenewegen and Elmar Reinders are leaving. They will ride for Unibet Tietema Rockets in 2026 and 2027. Eddie Dunbar and Chris Harper are joining the highly active Q36.5 Pro Cycling team, Alessandro De Marchi is retiring, and Max Walscheid is reportedly on his way to Lidl-Trek, according to the same Benson. The Ethiopian climbing talent Welay Hagos Berhe, after three years with the Australian squad, is also expected (or forced) to seek new opportunities. Filippo Zana came close to an agreement with INEOS Grenadiers, but signing is currently on hold. Meanwhile, he reportedly approached his current team again.
Regarding new names, things are quiet at the team of leaders Bling Matthews and Ben O'Connor (winner of the queen stage in the latest Tour de France). Talents Hamish McKenzie and Will Holmes are coming from development team Jayco Hagens Berman, and according to the always reliable Ciro Scognamiglio of La Gazzetta dello Sport, Andrea Vendrame is transferring from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale. Earlier, we had already reported the transfer of Alessandro Covi (UAE Emirates XRG).
At teams like Visma | Lease a Bike and Alpecin-Deceuninck, several departures have been confirmed, and insiders and cycling followers spoke of an exodus. Compared to the number of riders leaving Jayco AlUla, that’s not quite the case.
