Spin Cycle: All out, all change at Jayco AlUla

The expression ‘change is constant’ has never rung more true than this year at Team Jayco AlUla. But, wonders Anthony Tan, where will it leave the team and its riders?

Never before has there been a change of this magnitude on the men’s side at GreenEdge Cycling.

The reasons for head sports director Matt White’s unexpected departure on the eve of this year’s Giro d’Italia are still unclear. Did he jump or was he pushed?

“I’m not interested in talking about it; I’ve moved on. I was there for 14 years, it was a big part of my life and now it’s time for new challenges. But I’m proud of my work,” was all he would say in an interview with Cyclist.co.uk, published on August 13 this year.

In another interview on Daniel Benson’s Substack, who I once worked with at Cyclingnews, White did say this: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Gerry [Ryan] and everything he’s done for Australian cycling for the last couple of decades, but the team thought it was time for a change, and change they got.”

One thing is certain, however: leading to its WorldTour debut in 2012, White was instrumental in setting up the team, together with former general manager Shayne Bannan – another unexpected departure – who was officially shown the door on July 1, 2020, following a botched takeover deal with Spanish not-for-profit Manuela Fundación. (Read: Shayne Bannan: Gone, But Not Forgotten)

Late last month, on October 29, it was made public that White will join the Movistar Team, as co-head of the ‘Racing Department’ (weird name – do they have a ‘Training Department’?) with Chente García Acosta. Meanwhile, Bannan is employed as the high performance director at the Singapore Cycling Federation.

And, behind owner and chairman Gerry Ryan and general manager Brent Copeland, it was announced on November 4 that women’s team manager, Gene Bates, will be promoted to sporting manager of Team Jayco AlUla from Season 2026, effectively assuming the position that White left vacant six months earlier.

“It will be a big challenge, but it’s one that I’m looking forward to taking on alongside some fantastic athletes and staff,” said Bates in a press release.

Speaking of great athletes, at the time of penning my first online-only Spin Cycle – November 15, to be precise, on a blustery spring evening in Sydney peppered with threat of thunderstorms – the stage appeared set for an unprecedented number of departures compared to any previous season with the team.

Cycling data website Procyclingstats listed 15 names – exactly half the 30-rider Team Jayco AlUla men’s roster from 2025 – as not having their contracts renewed or were retiring.

The second biggest rider exodus from the GreenEdge building was just three years ago, when 10 riders left at the end of 2022 and 10 new faces joined for Season 2023.

In a blow to Jayco AlUla, three of those 10 new faces – all quality climbers, and despite (or because of) some outstanding results – are moving on in 2026: namely, Eddie Dunbar and Chris Harper, both joining Pinarello-Q36.5 Pro Cycling, and Filippo Zana, who is off to Soudal Quick-Step.

For me, it calls into question what some of their riders think of Ben O’Connor’s potential to reach the final podium at the Tour de France and his qualities as a leader, notwithstanding a desire to pursue one’s own ambitions.

Following the departure of longtime leader Simon Yates, after four seasons with the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale outfit and coming off a stellar 2024 where he finished second overall at the Vuelta a España, O’Connor was recruited by GreenEdge management as a bona fide GC contender for the Tour. He wasn’t the only leader at the Tour – Dylan Groenewegen was there for the sprint stages – but against the might of Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard, he was as well supported as a second-tier podium contender could hope for.

The harsh reality is that, as good as his Stage 18 triumph atop the Col de la Loze was, Big Ben’s season was more miss than hit. Next season, going into his second – and final – year of his two-year contract, there will be even more pressure for the soon-to-be 30-year-old West Australian to make good on what he believes he can do.

As of November 24, 12 riders are now listed as outgoing with eight incoming – the most notable being Pascal Ackermann (from Israel-Premier Tech) to boost their sprint/Classics line-up and a trio of climbers: Alessandro Covi (from UAE Team Emirates-XRG), Finlay Pickering (Bahrain-Victorious) and Andrea Vendrame (Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale).

Current riders Davide De Pretto, Felix Engelhardt and Kell O’Brien have each committed to Team Jayco AlUla after signing new two-year deals to stay with the squad.

Which leaves a roster of 26.

More to come, or are they done?