Team Jayco AlUla wrapped up a successful 2024 season on Sunday, racking up a total of 25 UCI wins with 12 different riders, showcasing its consistency and variety throughout the year.
From national championship triumphs, sprint wins and breakaway successes, the squad scored a victory each month from April through to September, including three memorable Grand Tour stage wins across the Tour de France and La Vuelta a España.
Dream Start
New recruit Luke Plapp made it a dream start to life in GreenEDGE Cycling colours as he secured the Australian ‘double’ in the national time trial and road race championships. The 23-year-old went on to do the green and gold proud during the season with standout rides at the Tour de Romandie and Paris-Nice, where he enjoyed two days in the race lead, plus a memorable stint in the white jersey at the Giro d’Italia.
Simon Yates continued the early season winning spirit in February as the British rider delivered a special and meaningful win at the AlUla Tour, sprinting to a stunning stage win on the final day of racing to seal the overall title in the home of the team’s co-title sponsor.
Sprint Success
Sprint star Dylan Groenewegen began his year with a win on day one at the Gran Premi València in January and the Dutchman produced another consistent season, highlighted by an impressive stage with at the Tour de France, the sixth of his career.
In total, the man from Amsterdam claimed five wins and a further eight top three finishes throughout a demanding year of racing. The season also saw him fight back from a broken collarbone in September to take second place behind teammate and fellow sprinter Max Walscheid at Omloop van het Houtland.
Australian Caleb Ewan also got his hands in the air on his return to the team, starting out with the national criterium title and a stage at the Tour of Oman, before wins in consecutive races at the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon and Vuelta a Burgos in August.
Young Talent
The 2024 season saw the team’s young talent step up once again, delivering strong performances and victories throughout the year. New signings, Davide de Pretto and Anders Foldager both celebrated wins in their debut pro seasons, with their triumphs coming in the Tour of Austria and Okolo Slovenska respectively. Italian De Pretto was a consistent threat during the season with his aggressive style of racing delivering 11x top-five finishes.
Despite a delayed start to the season due to injury, Mauro Schmid eventually unleashed his true potential midway through the campaign as he claimed the Swiss road race title before winning the overall at Okolo Slovenska. Fourth overall at the Artic Race of Norway was then followed up with a series of second place close-calls and daring rides at La Vuelta as the 24-year-old showcased his talents.
Dunbar’s Delight
Eddie Dunbar showed his grit and determination in a season of highs and lows for the Irishman. The 28-year-old was forced to abandon the UAE Tour with a broken hand in February before stepping off the bike ahead of stage three of the Giro following an unlucky crash on day two.
However, the man from Banteer bounced back with a victory in the Irish time trial championships before an unforgettable and emotional debut Grand Tour win at La Vuelta on stage 11. Not content with the one stage win, Dunbar doubled up as he climbed to his second stage victory on a gruelling Queen Stage to cap off a memorable final Grand Tour of the year for the team.
Battling Matthews
It was a season of ups and downs for Michael Matthews as the experienced Australian kicked off the year with a victory on day two at the Gran Premio Castellón. Illness and injury then disrupted his preparation for Milano-Sanremo, but that couldn’t prevent him from sprinting to a superb second place on the famous Via Roma. The 34-year-old then looked to have secured his second Monument podium of the year at the Tour of Flanders, only to be cruelly relegated from the third place for an apparent sprint deviation.
Matthews returned to winning ways in familiar surroundings in Canada as he powered to his third win at the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec in classic style. A gold medal for Australia in the Mixed Relay TTT at the World Championships then capped off a testing but rewarding season.
Matt White (Director of High Performance and Racing):
“Summarising a season is always hard because it’s such a long journey over 10 months of racing. But one thing we can be very proud of this year is our young riders, we’ve had a lot of new guys step up this year and 12 different winners out of the 30 riders. 25 wins is the most victories we’ve had in five years, and they were spread out and varied over the season.
It’s hard to pick out a standout result, but probably because it’s still fresh in my memory, the double victories of Eddie Dunbar at the Vuelta have to be noted, definitely. Dylan Groenewegen’s win at the Tour de France as the national champion of the Netherlands was a highlight, it’s always special winning at the Tour. Also, Simon Yates’s crucial win on the final stage to take the overall victory in AlUla is one we won’t forget, that’s for sure.
It’s been exciting to see a lot of the young guys get their first wins as professionals too. That’s a great sign moving forward for the next couple of seasons, to have these young guys that are hungry and have already proven that they can win races, and they’ll only be hungrier for more in the coming seasons.”
Brent Copeland (General Manager):
“It has been a successful season for the men’s team with 12 different riders taking 25 victories along with numerous podium placings, it really shows the great diversity and talent we have.
We’re proud to see that all six of our new signings for 2024 were able to take wins, this is really rewarding and for young, upcoming riders Anders Foldager and Davide De Pretto to both get their first professional victories is very special. It bodes well for the future as they continue to grow, and the development of fresh talent is an important aspect of our organisation.
Of course, winning at the highest level is always the main goal, and Dylan and Eddie’s wins at the Tour de France and La Vuelta are huge highlights for us this year. We also came very close in two Monuments with Michael Matthews.
It is not only the results this season but the way the team has worked through adversity and the great teamwork between riders and staff, this gives us a lot of confidence and motivation for 2025 and beyond as we continue to grow as an organisation. Of course, none of this would be possible without the loyal support from team owner Gerry Ryan and all of our valued partners who we have to thank.”
Team Jayco AlUla 2024 Race Victories (12x riders)
Australian Time Trial Championships – Luke Plapp
Australian Road Race Championships – Luke Plapp
Gran Premi València – Dylan Groenewegen
Gran Premio Castellón – Michael Matthews
AlUla Tour Stage 5 – Simon Yates
AlUla Tour Overall – Simon Yates
Tour of Oman Stage 1 – Caleb Ewan
Tour of the Alps Stage 2 – Alessandro De Marchi
Ronde van Limburg – Dylan Groenewegen
Tour of Slovenia Stage 1 – Dylan Groenewegen
Irish Time Trial Championships – Eddie Dunbar
Netherlands Road Race Championships – Dylan Groenewegen
Swiss Road Race Championships – Mauro Schmid
Okolo Slovenska Stage 1 (TTT)
Okolo Slovenska Stage 2 – Anders Foldager
Okolo Slovenska Stage 5 – Felix Engelhardt
Okolo Slovenska Overall – Mauro Schmid
Tour of Austria Stage 1 – Davide De Pretto
Tour de France Stage 6 – Dylan Groenewegen
Vuelta a Castilla y Leon – Caleb Ewan
Vuelta a Burgos Stage 2 – Caleb Ewan
La Vuelta a España Stage 11 – Eddie Dunbar
La Vuelta a España Stage 20 – Eddie Dunbar
Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec – Michael Matthews
Omloop van het Houtland – Max Walscheid
Photos: 3 & 6 Sprint Cycling, 1 Josh Chadwick, 2, 4 & 5 Kristof Ramon
