Il Team Jayco AlUla He will be guided to the Tour de France 2025 by two runners who know how to win a stage, Ben O’Connor E Dylan Groenewegenwho will aim to the general classification and stage victories respectively.
Together with them in the round roster there will be Luke Plappwho is making his debut in “Grand Boucle” after an extraordinary performance at the Giro d’Italia in the spring that saw him win his first stage solo in a Grand Tour.
An Australian leader for the general classification
With O’Connor at the helm, it will be the first time that the Jayco Alula team will have an Australian who points to the general classification since his debut in 2012.
The 29 -year -old, who will run his fourth Tour de France, has a rich pedigree from Grand Tour. He arrived among the first five in each of the three large laps, with a second place at Vuelta a España last season. He also won stages in all great laps, adding Vuelta to his Palmarès in 2024.
To support O’Connor in the mountains there will be the compatriot Plapp e Another debutant at the Tour de France, Eddie Dunbar. Even if Dunbar has never raced the Grand Tour of France previously, he has a good story in the three -week competitions with the seventh place at all at the Giro d’Italia 2023 and two stage wins at the Vuelta last year.
Ben O’Connor
“We have a truly versatile team and in the past I behaved well in the great laps, so I will do everything possible to enter the top five, as I have already done at the Giro d’Italia, at Vuelta in España and the Tour de France. We also have Dylan for the fast stages, we have practically all types of covered stages. It is always an exciting moment, it is the largest race and the biggest stress, but it is also the biggest reward.
“The route is divided into two. There is the north of France with some extremely delicate stages and then, more or less, from stage 10 onwards, all the climbs last from 30 minutes to an hour. There are some really important hills and steps, so I think it is there that I will enjoy the race much more. It is the type of mountain stages I prefer: for me it is above all to overcome the first part of the race unscathed”
Sprint goal
Groenewegen will try to add new stage victories to his Palmarès since there are at least seven sprint opportunities. The Dutchman obtained his sixth stage victory at the Tour de France last season and was in dazzling form lately with a double victory at the Slovenia Giro.
To support the Dutch Groenewegen champion will be two highly experienced men’s men, The Messiah and Elmar Reinders. The duo contributed to bringing Groenewegen to victory last year and is doing the sixth and third apparition respectively.
Brent Copeland, Team General Manager, explains: “It is time for one of the largest and most prestigious events of the season, and we have been preparing for the Tour de France for a long time. Thanks to the hard work of our performance group, we believe we have built our stronger line-up, suitable for this year’s edition. It is never an easy task to put together a team line-up with a double ambition, however, we are confident of having an excellent balance of runners. Departure, this year in Lille on July 5, and, of course, we will try to build on the results obtained in previous editions. trusted and loyal partners.
Power
To complete the team there will be a mixture of experience and youth with Luke Durbridge ready to take sides for his 11° Giro di France, while Mauro Schmid will make his debut. The Australian Route on the Durbridge Route is an important pillar for the team, providing support for both the general classification and for the stage ambitions, as well as a heritage of knowledge. In the meantime, recently crowned Swiss chronometer and road champion, Schmid offers the team opportunities for success on medium mountain days that lend themselves to escapes.
Mathew Hayman, sports director, adds: “We can’t wait to take to the street to the Tour de France with Dylan Groenewegen for the sprints and we have well O’Connor for the general classification. We will have the national chronometer champion and road running champion, Luke Plapp and Luke Durbridge, as Australian in the team, together with Ben, who is the first Australian leader of the general classification for the team. The opening stage is a sprint stage and for a sprinter being able to take the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, I am sure that it stimulates Dylan, and it would be a good time to win the victory and the yellow jersey. Then, the first 10 days really demanding. There are a lot of classic -style stages and a stopwatch test before moving to the mountains. Overall, we probably identified five or six stages too hard for sprinters who could be ideal for potential escapes. THE First 10 days will be stressful for me and for the runners, in particular for the general classification. We have seen in the past that the Tour de France is always stressful, it is the most important race and the runners become nervous. You never know what will happen to the Tour de France from one day to the next … “
