{"id":49950,"date":"2025-04-17T09:30:10","date_gmt":"2025-04-17T09:30:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2024\/?p=49950"},"modified":"2025-04-21T09:49:45","modified_gmt":"2025-04-21T09:49:45","slug":"team-jayco-alula-backing-matthews-oconnor-for-the-ardennes-classics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/team-jayco-alula-backing-matthews-oconnor-for-the-ardennes-classics\/","title":{"rendered":"Team Jayco AlUla backing Matthews & O\u2019Connor for the Ardennes Classics\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Team Jayco AlUla<\/strong> will go all in for an Amstel Gold Race<\/strong> podium, the first race of three at the Ardennes Classics, with the 34-year-old Michael Matthews<\/strong> looking for a top-result in a race that he has a consistent list of results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthews has enjoyed no less than six top 10 finishes at the event and is hoping for more in 2025 on a course that returns to its previous finish line location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a podium finisher\u00a0Ben O\u2019Connor<\/strong>\u00a0will provide the team another strong option for the likes of\u00a0La Fl\u00e8che Wallonne<\/strong>, where the Mur de Huy will decide who is the deserving champion. The pair will be looking for a strong showing in the final of the three races, the lengthy iconic Monument,\u00a0Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge<\/strong>\u00a0on Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Australian duo is ready for the tough week of racing and will have a solid support team around them for all three races in the shape of Cadel Evans GORR winner\u00a0Mauro Schmid\u00a0<\/strong>and former Italian champion\u00a0Filippo Zana.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Coming into the fold for Amstel Gold and Fl\u00e8che Wallonne only, will be MTB World Champion\u00a0Alan Hatherly<\/strong>, Austrian rider Patrick Gamer and young Dane\u00a0Anders Foldager<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the final of the three races, the fourth Monument of the 2025 season, the team recruit three fresh riders with Australian\u00a0duo Chris Harper<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Michael Hepburn<\/strong>\u00a0plus Dutch rider\u00a0Koen Bouwman<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Team Jayco AlUla at the Ardennes Classics 2025:<\/u><\/strong>
Anders Foldager (DEN) *Amstel & Fl\u00e8che only
Patrick Gamper (AUT) *Amstel & Fl\u00e8che only
Alan Hatherly (RSA) *Amstel & Fl\u00e8che only<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Michael Matthews (AUS) * All 3x races
Ben O\u2019Connor (AUS) *All 3x races
Mauro Schmid (SWI) *All 3x races
Filippo Zana (ITA) * All 3x races

Michael Hepburn (AUS) *Li\u00e8ge only
Koen Bouwman (NED) *Li\u00e8ge only
Chris Harper (AUS) *Li\u00e8ge only TBC<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ben O\u2019Connor<\/u><\/strong>
\u201cThe Ardennes is always a hard week of racing. I\u2019m looking forward to it, especially Fl\u00e8che and Li\u00e8ge. We have a strong team and with myself and Matthews we\u2019ve got options in the racing. We know it will be hard racing; the weather can also play a big part in the outcome of the races.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve been slowly building through the spring, the various weeklong stage races. I\u2019m feeling in good shape now and hopefully can do something in a one-day race. Liege is a Monument of course and that gives a lot of motivation.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Valerio Piva
<\/u><\/strong>\u201cWe\u2019re ready to be back at the Ardennes Classics, this year we have two strong options for the races with both Matthews and O\u2019Connor. Matthews has been consistent in Amstel and it\u2019s a race we hope he can do well in this year. Then for the hillier of the races, Fl\u00e8che and Liege, O\u2019Connor can be strong if he\u2019s on a good day. We know what he can do, and we have a strong team around that can support well with the likes of Mauro Schmid. It\u2019s going to be hard as always, but we\u2019re motivated.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

GreenEDGE Cycling results at the Ardennes:<\/span>
1st<\/sup>\u00a02014\u00a0Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge –\u00a0<\/strong>Simon Gerrans\u00a0
2nd<\/sup>\u00a02016\u00a0Li\u00e8ge-Bastogne-Li\u00e8ge\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Michael Albasini
2nd<\/sup>\u00a02012\u00a0Fl\u00e8che Wallonne<\/strong>\u00a0– Michael Albasini
3rd<\/sup>\u00a02014\u00a0Fl\u00e8che Wallonne<\/strong>\u00a0– Michael Albasini
3rd<\/sup>\u00a02017\u00a0Fl\u00e8che Wallonne –\u00a0<\/strong>Michael Albasini
3rd<\/sup>\u00a02013\u00a0Amstel Gold Race\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 Simon Gerrans
3rd<\/sup>\u00a02014\u00a0Amstel Gold Race\u00a0<\/strong>– Simon Gerrans
3rd<\/sup>\u00a02015\u00a0Amstel Gold Race<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Michael Matthews
4th<\/sup>\u00a02021\u00a0Amstel Gold Race<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Michael Matthews
5th<\/sup>\u00a02016\u00a0Amstel Gold Race<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 Michael Matthews

Photo: Sprint Cycling<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team Jayco AlUla will go all in for an Amstel Gold Race podium, the first race of three at the Ardennes Classics, with the 34-year-old Michael Matthews looking for a top-result in a race…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49952,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[296,386],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49950"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49950"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":49997,"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49950\/revisions\/49997"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/greenedgecycling.com\/2026\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}