Team Jayco AlUla will line up at the 81st edition of La Vuelta a España with a young and motivated team, headed by British talent Paul Double.
With one Grand Tour already under his belt, the 30-year-old will be looking to take every opportunity to hunt stage wins during the third and final Grand Tour of the season.
Starting in Monte Carlo next Saturday, the Spanish tour will skip the tradition final stage in Madrid and for 2026, draw its conclusion in Granada on September 13th, following a route almost entirely Mediterranean.
Youthful motivation
Alongside the Tour of Guangxi winner Double, fellow Briton Finlay Pickering will be looking to perform on the hiller stages with this year’s course suiting the duo’s characteristics with no less than six major mountain stages to come. Like Double, the 23-year-old has one Grand Tour ticked off after already experiencing La Vuelta in 2025.
Adding an extra abundance of energy and motivation to the team will be a trio of Grand Tour debutants. Two young Australians in the shape of Rudy Porter and Hamish McKenzie, who are both ready to support the team leaders, whilst gaining valuable experience for the future.
Dane Asbjørn Hellemose adds another hint of determination to the squad as the 27-year-old will finally make his Grand Tour debut and be seeking out every opportunity to jump into breakaways.
Valuable Experience
At his first Grand Tour in Team Jayco AlUla colours, Italian Alessandro Covi, will be looking to achieve results not only in the hilly stages but also the flatter days when the peloton arrives in a bigger group, with the 27-year-old an extremely versatile rider in the team’s roster.
Rounding out the squad will be two experienced men with German Jasha Sütterlin, a key rider to support the leaders with a strong engine that will be invaluable when it comes to positioning on the flat. Dutch climber Koen Bouwmanis set to start his 13th Grand Tour and will bring a huge amount of experience to guide the fairly youthful squad.
Team Jayco AlUla at the 2026 La Vuelta a España:
Koen Bouwman (NED) – 5th appearance
Alessandro Covi (ITA) – Debut at La Vuelta
Paul Double (GBR) – Debut at La Vuelta
Asbjørn Hellemose (DEN) – Debut at La Vuelta
Hamish McKenzie (AUS) – Debut at La Vuelta
Finlay Pickering (GBR) – 2nd appearance
Rudy Porter (AUS) – Debut at La Vuelta
Jasha Sütterlin (GER) – 5th appearance
Paul Double
“I’m very much looking forward to lining up at La Vuelta with GreenEDGE. It will be my second Grand Tour and hopefully with everything learnt last year I can have more success. I’ve been re-finding my legs in the last few races so I’m hoping to capitalise wherever opportunities reveal themselves. For sure it’ll be a tough few weeks ahead but I’m looking forward to racing in Spain, also a chance to brush up on my Spanish which is quickly becoming rusty.”
David McPartland (Sport Director)
“We are heading to the Vuelta this year with the goal of chasing stage results. We have a young and very motivated team for the final Grand Tour of the season. A lot of riders will be making their debut at the race, this brings a lot of added motivation and we’re looking forward to seeing what they can achieve. Hopefully many stages that will end with breaks going to the line and, for sure, we are looking to take every possible opportunity we can to get the most out of this race and end the season on a high.”
La Vuelta a España
22.08.26 – 13.09.26
3,275km
