Jayco AlUla poach Aussie sprinter from Netcompany INEOS and bring him 'home'

Welsford has long been regarded as one of the most dangerous sprinters in the peloton. The now 30-year-old Australian made his breakthrough with dsm-firmenich, with highlights including a victory in the GP Criquielion and a stage win in the Renewi Tour.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe then signed him, but things didn’t go quite as smoothly there. The same was true at Netcompany INEOS.

Over the past three years, he has established himself as the undisputed king of the sprint in Australia with no fewer than seven stage wins at the Tour Down Under. But outside his home country, he has won only once—the first stage of the Tour of Hungary in 2024.

Now Welsford hopes to find his form in Europe as well while riding for Jayco AlUla, where he will be sprinting for the next two years.

"I'm incredibly excited to join Team Jayco AlUla next season," he says on his new team's website. "After five years of racing at the highest level, it feels like the right time to come home and be part of an Australian team with such a rich history in the sport."

"I look forward to putting my experience to good use, continuing to develop as a driver, and, most importantly, racing for a cause that is close to my heart. I’m incredibly motivated to see what we can achieve together, and I’m proud to represent Australia on the world stage.”

Head of Performance Gene Bates is pleased that Welsford has finally signed with Jayco AlUla. This isn’t the first time he’s been on the team’s radar. “We’ve come close to signing Sam before, and it’s fantastic that we’ve now been able to finalise this deal and have him on our team for the next two seasons.”

"Sam is well known to the team staff and the riders because he rode for Australia on the track for many years, particularly during the Paris Olympics, where he made a significant contribution to the gold medal in the men’s team pursuit and set a new world record.

But he’s now truly focused on road racing and sprints. He’ll be a huge motivator for the team, and thanks to him, we can focus on a number of major projects for 2027 and 2028.'

Since Dylan Groenewegen’s departure last year, Jayco AlUla has been searching for a true top sprinter. Pascal Ackermann had to fill the void left behind—at least temporarily—but with Welsford, the team now hopes to have a rider with enough speed to compete for the biggest victories.