2026 is close! Tour Down Under receives its first confirmation as O'Connor and Plapp lead Team Jayco AlUla

The 2026 season at the highest level is set to start in less than a month with the Tour Down Under and the wait is no longer long. Team Jayco AlUla have announced their lineup for their home race and are kicking off the lineup announcements for the year.  

“We’re returning to the Tour Down Under with a very strong team for what is a hard course next year," team DS Matthew Hayman said in a press release. "We have Ben O’Connor coming back who hasn’t raced here since 2023, Luke Plapp, who was right up there this year, and we’ve got Mauro Schmid, who won Cadel’s Great Ocean Road Race this year and he’s coming back to have a crack at Tour Down Under".

It's a strong set of leaders, perhaps the best trio the team could arrange for the opening event in the World Tour calendar. The race is fit for puncheurs and explosive climbers alike, and the victory is in mind for the team. It is with no surprise that the lineup was announced a month in advance, as probably Jayco puts more focus in this race than any other top team.

"Those guys will be supported by Luke Durbridge, a stalwart of the team. It’s always great to have his knowledge and strength as road captain and a key rider for the team. We’ve pretty much got a full Australian line-up with couple of young guys. Rudy Porter returns to the team and I’m sure he’ll be ready to impress straight away, Hamish McKenzie steps up from the development team and right in the middle there you have Kell O’Brien, who must be eyeing up that prologue around the streets of Adelaide. We have a super strong squad, and we’re excited to take this them to Tour Down Under and with a team like that we’ve got to be expecting to get some results.”

As a headliner is Ben O'Connor, who is thrilled to be back at the Tour Down Under, for a different season start in the Australian summer. “Heading back to Perth for the summer has been an enormous pleasure. I love Australia, I miss its beaches and friendly, laid-back atmosphere. Training here is brutal and unforgiving sometimes, but it always gives big rewards. I can’t wait to get stuck in for the Aussie summer of racing and do our jersey proud".

But it's not all sun and beaches, the 30-year old is looking to add a victory to his tally right here in January. "Around the world we try to perform, showcase our talents and aim to throw the hands up in the air with a victory, but coming into Tour Down Under with Team Jayco AlUla will truly mean racing in our home race, bringing that extra dimension of significance. It’ll be great fun and honestly, it is one of the best times of the year.”  

The likes of Andras Kron, Geroge Bennett, Jay Vine, Adam Yates and Santiago Buitrago (the latter in words to CyclingUpToDate) have all confirmed their presence as rivals in the battle for the overall classification in Australia.

Luke Plapp
Luke Durbridge
Hamish McKenzie
Kelland O'Brien
Rudy Porter
Mauro Schmid
Ben O'Connor