Jayco AlUla breathes sigh of relief as team is saved from financial ruin: 'A few more days, and it would have been over'

Last year Jayco AlUla was very late in getting all its affairs in order, but this time the Australian team made it even more bonkers. The team was truly saved from the abyss, it turns out. Now the team goes into the new season with renewed energy, but does give a kick to the departed Dylan Groenewegen.

Jayco AlUla did not submit its application for the WorldTour until after the deadline. 'We came pretty close to not having a team for next year,' general manager Brent Copeland explained to Daniel Benson. 'It was a matter of a few days. I think that the UCI have been very supportive, because they wouldn’t want us to fold, but it was close for us. A few more days, and it would have been over.'

Still, everyone on the team kept their faith in a good outcome. 'The team’s management is extremely grateful for the trust the riders and staff put in the team during these challenging few weeks, as they all believed and trusted in the process; legally, they could have all looked for other teams. However, they stuck it out with us, which shows a lot of what this team means to everyone.'

It wasn't a matter of finding sponsors, because there were already more than enough of them. 'We’ve got contracts until the end of 2028, and all our contracts are now in line. It wasn’t an issue of the duration of the contracts; it was more about getting everything signed and the deadlines that we faced. with us going over the deadline of Oct 15, but both Giant and AlUla have been incredibly supportive.'

Businessman Gerry Ryan has been in charge of finances since the team's first year, but the evolution of the sport means that more and more money is needed. It has been another difficult year for Jayco AlUla. 'Gerry is still very committed, but at the end of the day, the budgets in the WorldTour are always increasing, and it’s becoming more and more difficult to be competitive with the top teams and keep the teams alive. Our budget stays the same, for the men and the women.'

For the last couple of years, the men's team was built around a number of established names, such as Michael Matthews and Dylan Groenewegen. However, the Dutch sprinter did not make have his best season in 2025, and could not impress in the Tour the France. He eventually left for a new adventure at Unibet Rose Rockets, the team of YouTuber Bas Tietema.

Copeland cannot help to take a swipe at the departing star. 'It was pointless to pay 1 to 1.5 million Euros on sprinters that aren’t going to bring in guaranteed points. We took the decision not to invest in sprinters, and that saves you around 2-3 million on its own if you take out top sprinters, and we decided to go after riders who can realistically get us points in races that we target. We’ve gone after other riders and we know that our investment is going to be worth it.'

The Australian has looked at XDS-Astana and how the team rose from the ashes, but they do not see it as a blueprint for 2026. 'I’m not going to say we’re going to copy the tactics from Astana this year, but I think you can look at the signings that we’ve made and you can see the sort of rider that we’ve targeted, riders who can support Michael Matthews and riders who can gain points in a lot of races.'

Riders like Groenewegen, but also Eddie Dunbar (two stage wins in the 2024 Vuelta) and Chris Harper (winner of a Giro stage this year), are leaving. On the other hand, new signings such as Andrea Vendrame and Alessandro Covi are coming in. According to Benson, Pascal Ackermann (Israel–Premier Tech) is also set to join. In addition, young Brit Finlay Pickering (Bahrain Victorious) is a strong candidate for a transfer.