First a sensational championship win, now the ultimate reward for Conca’s 2025 shocker with Jayco AlUla: “He deserves this”
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Follow us on GoogleIt took a while, but Filippo Conca is back in the WorldTour. The 26-year-old Italian had slipped far down the pro cycling ranks in recent years due to a variety of circumstances, riding this season in the crisp white kit of gravel squad Swatt Club. Everything changed in June, when Conca sensationally claimed the Italian road race title. Wearing the tricolore, he signed with Jayco AlUla.
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Conca’s move to the Australian outfit had been rumored for some time, but was finally made official on Wednesday. It marks a return to the WorldTour for Conca, who raced there in 2021 and 2022 with the current Lotto team. In 2023 and 2024, he rode for ProTeam Q36.5, but had to leave at the end of last year. With no offers coming in, he turned to Swatt Club, a team mainly focused on the gravel scene.
Conca had never won a race, until June 29, 2025, when he pulled off the shocker of the year. In a brutal edition of the Italian Championships, Swatt Club managed to get Conca and teammate Mattia Gaffuri into a decisive group of five. When everyone thought Alessandro Covi (UAE Team Emirates-XRG) had it in the bag, Conca stunned the field by powering past his compatriot with some mighty power.
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Jayco AlUla had Conca on their radar for quite some time
With the green, white, and red of the Italian champion’s jersey on his shoulders, Conca quickly became a hot target for WorldTour teams, and it was Jayco AlUla who made the move, offering him a two-year contract. He’ll make his debut for the team on August 15 at the Belgian one-day race Circuit Franco-Belge. “I chose this team because I’m confident it offers the right environment for me to work in,” Conca said. “I spoke with riders and staff members before making my decision, and they all told me that at Jayco AlUla I’d find a family that could support me both professionally and personally.”
In that same team’s press release, general manager Brent Copeland also expressed his delight at signing the 26-year-old. “Filippo has a lot of talent, which is clear not only from his Italian title but also from past results. Various setbacks and challenges have kept him from showing his true potential, but we’re happy to give him the support he deserves to reach his biggest goals again.” One of those goals is to line up at the 2026 Giro d’Italia wearing the Italian tricolore. Conca is also pleased to continue racing on Giant and Cadex equipment at Jayco AlUla, gear he already knows well from his time with Swatt Club.
Bram van der PloegEditor-in-chief
Bram van der Ploeg (35) is the proud founder of In de Leiderstrui, IDL Pro Cycling's parent site, launched in 2018. Finally, he could create stories about the sport he had followed since childhood. He is the editor-in-chief on paper, but prefers to be with his recorder next to a rider, a team bus, or in the mud at a cyclocross race. Every year, from February to the end of May, Bram follows the entire Italian cycling season, from the Trofeo Laigueglia to the Giro d'Italia, with the grand finale in October in Lombardy. During that time, he lives in Tuscany, where he has since come to call Italy his 'home'.
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