Ben O'Connor will have a chance to bounce back as Jayco's GC leader at Volta a Catalunya

Team Jayco AlUla is not having a great start to the 2025 season. Despite a number of star riders among its ranks, the Australian WT formation is yet to win its first race in Europe. Ideally, Volta a Catalunya will present them with an opportunity to turn this bleak statistic around.

Ben O'Connor - podium finisher at last year's Giro, Vuelta & World Championships - seems like a man for the job with three hard mountain stages ahead. Even the easier days would be a bitter pill to swallow for most sprinters - that's why Jayco doesn't bring any to Spain. Instead, they'll bet on the speed of Danish all-rounder Anders Foldager.

"Ben is coming into the race off the back of a tough Paris-Nice, he’s really motivated and we’re hoping he can take a step forward from last week," says sports director Steve Cummings in a team press release ahead of the race. "There’s also some good opportunities for Anders in the fast finishes and reduced group sprints."

"On the GC we will try and aim for the best result we can with Ben, stage three in particular will be a big test. The reduced sprints look good on paper for Anders. It’s a great chance for him, he hasn't got a win at WorldTour level yet, but this will be a good test for him to see how he stacks up against the fast guys at this level."

"It’s a hard race, but it suits him, and he’s motivated for sure, and hungry to get a big result and his first for the team. We’re all excited to help him achieve that goal and I can’t wait to get stuck in," concludes O'Connor's teammate Christopher Juul-Jensen.