Every Australian and New Zealand rider at the 2026 Tour de France: Ben O'Connor, Jai Hindley and Michael Matthews among 13-rider contingent
Cycling
The 2026 Tour de France startlist includes 13 riders from Australia and New Zealand, with Ben O'Connor, Jai Hindley, Michael Matthews and Luke Plapp among the standout names from the region.
There are eleven Australians and two New Zealanders on the final startlist. Team Jayco AlUla carry the strongest national imprint, selecting five Australians in O'Connor, Matthews, Plapp, Luke Durbridge and Kelland O'Brien for a squad built around stage opportunities across the three weeks.
The race begins in Barcelona on July 4 with a 19.7km team time trial, immediately bringing powerful riders such as Durbridge, O'Brien, Plapp and Aaron Gate into focus.
Later in the race, the Stage 16 individual time trial and the final Alpine weekend, including back-to-back Alpe d'Huez stages, should bring the climbers and mountain support riders further into play.
Australian riders at the 2026 Tour de France
| Rider | Team |
| Jai Hindley | Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe |
| Robert Stannard | Bahrain Victorious |
| Chris Harper | Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team |
| Damien Howson | Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team |
| Sebastian Berwick | Caja Rural - Seguros RGA |
| Luke Durbridge | Team Jayco AlUla |
| Michael Matthews | Team Jayco AlUla |
| Kelland O'Brien | Team Jayco AlUla |
| Ben O'Connor | Team Jayco AlUla |
| Luke Plapp | Team Jayco AlUla |
| Michael Storer | Tudor Pro Cycling Team |
O'Connor is the leading Australian name in Jayco's Tour squad. A proven Grand Tour podium rider and Tour stage winner, he gives the team a major option for difficult mountain days, even with Jayco's 2026 approach shaped more around stage opportunities than a full general classification bid.
Matthews brings the deepest Tour de France pedigree in the Australian core. He has already won stages at the race and remains a dangerous option on reduced sprint days, punchy finishes and transitional stages where the pure sprinters can be put under pressure.
Plapp adds another strong all-round card for Jayco. His time trial ability makes him useful from the Barcelona opener, while his climbing and stage-race pedigree give the team another option once the race becomes more selective. Durbridge, one of the most experienced engines in the squad, should be central to the team time trial, early positioning battles and long days controlling moves.
O'Brien is the fifth Australian in Jayco's selection. The Olympic gold medallist arrives with a track background and the kind of power profile that could be immediately useful in Barcelona before settling into a support role across the three weeks.
Jai Hindley comes to the Tour off the back of a Giro podium
Away from Jayco, Hindley is the biggest Australian name in the wider peloton. The former Giro d'Italia winner starts for Red Bull – BORA – hansgrohe in a squad led by Remco Evenepoel and Florian Lipowitz, but his climbing depth and Grand Tour experience make him an important part of one of the strongest mountain groups in the race.
Pinarello Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team also bring two Australians, with Harper and Howson selected in the squad built around Tom Pidcock. Both offer climbing support and experience for a team making its Tour de France debut with one of the race's more intriguing leadership stories.
Stannard lines up for Bahrain Victorious, a team expected to chase stage wins while also supporting Antonio Tiberi's general classification ambitions. Berwick gives Caja Rural - Seguros RGA an Australian climber on the team's long-awaited Tour debut, while Storer adds another experienced mountain and breakaway option for Tudor Pro Cycling Team.
New Zealand riders at the 2026 Tour de France
| Rider | Team |
| George Bennett | NSN Cycling Team |
| Aaron Gate | XDS Astana Team |
Bennett is the more experienced Grand Tour name of the two New Zealanders. He starts for NSN Cycling Team in a squad shaped around Biniam Girmay's sprint ambitions, but his climbing background gives the team another option when the race moves away from the flatter days.
Bennett leads the Kiwi contingent at the 2026 Tour
Gate lines up for XDS Astana Team after building much of his reputation on the track. His power and versatility should make him useful across the opening team time trial and the harder transition days, with Astana also carrying options for sprints, breakaways and mountain stages.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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