Jayco-AlUla: Dunbar and Yates mature, Groenewegen welcomes a new rooster in the sprint coop

The cycling year 2023 has come to a close, and so at IDLProCycling.com, we are taking an in-depth look at the latest cycling season. Next team in line: Jayco AlUla! The Australian team had a decent season, and there’s a lot of exciting prospects awaiting them next season.

Michael Matthews, the star of Jayco-AlUla, had an inconsistent year, especially during the spring when things didn’t go as planned. 'Bling' started the season well with good finishes in the Tour Down Under and also three top-six finishes in Paris-Nice, before being struck down by COVID. Despite still feeling a bit under the weather, he did fairly well in Dwars door Vlaanderen (twentieth), but in the Tour of Flanders, the 33-year-old Australian crashed hard on the descent of the Koppenberg.

The crash jeopardized his entire spring season and that of the team. Only Filippo Zana and Matteo Sobrero managed to finish 21st in Strade Bianche and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, while Dylan Groenewegen earned a notable place in the sprint classics Scheldeprijs and the Classic Brugge-De Panne. Simon Yates then brightened the Australians' autumn with a fifth place in Il Lombardia.

In the slightly smaller one-day races, Jayco-AlUla celebrated more often. Dutch sprinting powerhouse Dylan Groenewegen won the Veenendaal-Veenendaal Classic, and Felix Engelhardt showed his potential with victories in Per Sempre Alfredo and the Japan Cup. In the GP of Québec, Matthews sprinted to a podium finish, and a few weeks ago, Lukas Pöstlberger emerged victorious in Hong Kong.

Yates kicked off the new season with gusto, setting the tone with a stage victory at Mount Lofty in the Tour Down Under. However, the overall victory eluded him, as local rider Jay Vine took the honors in the end. These performances were indicative of the strong season the 31-year-old Brit would have in stage races. Yates just missed the podium in Paris-Nice and finished ninth in the Tour of the Basque Country.

His Irish teammate Eddie Dunbar finished in the same ninth position in the Tour de Romandie and took on the role of leader for the first time at the Giro. The 27-year-old Irishman, who had been stifled in a support role at INEOS Grenadiers, relished his newfound freedom and climbed with the best in the Giro d'Italia. Dunbar was in sight of fourth place and perhaps even the podium for a long time, but a crash in the final stages saw him fall to seventh place.

Dunbar wasn't the only one to shine during the Italian stage race. Italian champion Filippo Zana displayed his fighting spirit with a third place in the stage to Fossombrone and was the fastest climber on Val di Zoldo in stage eighteen. Matthews also contributed with a stage win in stage three and four other top ten finishes later in the grand tour.

Team Jayco-AlUla continued the strong momentum into the Tour de France, starting with Yates and Groenewegen as their leaders. The Brit did not disappoint and in the very first stage, he lost out on the stage win and the yellow jersey to his brother Adam. Groenewegen, entering with high hopes, was unable to claim a victory, partly due to the prowess of Jasper Philipsen, although he did finish in the top ten five times. Yates also climbed to a host of placings during La Grande Boucle but never came as close as he did in the opening stage. He was also beaten by his brother in the final classification, missing the podium by a narrow margin.

Groenewegen later celebrated victories in two stages of the Tour of Slovenia, with teammate Jesus David Pena taking a stage as well. Zana, another teammate, claimed the overall victory.

The breakthrough performances of Eddie Dunbar and Filippo Zana, along with the strong performance in the (grand) tours by Simon Yates, Dylan Groenewegen, and Michael Matthews, earn Jayco-AlUla a commendable score. Despite a lackluster spring, the editorial team at IDLProCycling.com settles on a 6.5.

Incoming:Caleb Ewan (Lotto-Dstny), Max Walscheid (Cofidis), Mauro Schmid (Soudal Quick-Step), Luke Plapp (INEOS Grenadiers), Davide de Pretto (Zalf Euromobil Fior), Anders Foldager (Biesse-Carrera)

Exit: Zdenek Stybar (retired), Matteo Sobrero (BORA-hansgrohe), Kevin Colleoni (Intermarché-Circus-Wanty)

Jayco-AlUla welcomed back the cunning Caleb Ewan to the fold, after the Australian sprinter found himself sidelined at Lotto-Dstny. The Aussies also invested more in their spring campaign by recruiting Max Walscheid from Cofidis and securing a surprise with Mauro Schmid.

Australian champion Luke Plapp made the jump from INEOS Grenadiers, hoping to fully blossom as Dunbar did. New team director Valerio Piva will have his hands full managing roosters Ewan, Matthews, and Groenewegen in the sprint coop, and it remains to be seen if Eddie Dunbar can validate his role as leader under the mounting pressure.