Giro d'Italia stage winner departs UAE - Team Jayco AlUla bolster ranks with Alessandro Covi

Team Jayco AlUla have strengthened their climbing options for the coming seasons with the signing of Alessandro Covi, who will leave UAE Team Emirates - XRG at the end of the year to join the Australian World Tour squad on a two-year deal starting in 2026.

The 26-year-old Italian has built a reputation as a versatile and aggressive racer, capable of excelling on hilly terrain and delivering a fast finish from reduced groups. Covi arrives at Jayco AlUla on the back of an encouraging 2025 campaign, highlighted by a stage win at the Giro d’Abruzzo, victory at the Vuelta a Asturias, and a runner-up spot at the Italian national road race championships.

But it is perhaps his breakthrough ride at the 2022 Giro d’Italia that still defines him: a daring 53km solo escape to Marmolada (Passo Fedaia) to take one of the most prestigious summit finishes in modern Giro history. That performance confirmed Covi’s ability not only to win but to do so with panache against the very best.

For Covi, the move represents both a sporting and personal milestone. Born in Taino, Lombardy, just a short distance from Jayco AlUla’s European service course, he described the switch as akin to joining his “home team.”

“I’ve always admired Team Jayco AlUla for its organisation and the results it has achieved over the years,” Covi says in a press release on Jayco's official website. “Having been born not far from the team service course, I’ve always considered it my home team. I thank UAE Team Emirates XRG for the long time we’ve spent together, but after six years I felt it was the right time to take a new step in my career. I bring with me new motivation and hope to be able to celebrate new victories with the team.”

Covi’s tenure at UAE saw him evolve from a promising U23 signing into a dependable professional, often deployed in support of the team’s star-studded GC ambitions. Yet opportunities for personal success were understandably limited in such an environment, and Jayco AlUla will now provide a platform where his blend of climbing strength and finishing speed could yield greater freedom.

General manager Brent Copeland expressed his enthusiasm for the new signing, underlining both Covi’s sporting qualities and his fit within the squad’s culture.

“He is a great rider physically but also has a fantastic personality, which is always very important,” Copeland said. “He’s ready for a change after six years with the same team and we’re excited to see what he can achieve with us in a new setting. Having a rider that can climb well and support our leaders in the mountains and at Grand Tours is crucial and we’re looking forward to working with him next season.”