No Caleb Ewan - Jayco AlUla fully back up Plapp and Schmid for Tour Down Under GC
Cycling
The Tour Down Under will be the first men's World Tour event of the season and there is one team that intends on winning it above all others: Team Jayco AlUla. The home team has revealed it's lineup three weeks before the start, before any other, and it's full focus on the GC.
The team does not count on Caleb Ewan but instead have Campbell Stewart as a secondary option for the fast finishes. But the team's focus will without a doubt be in the GC as Luke Plapp and Mauro Schmid are well adapted to the hilly course. Chris Harper is also an option for the GC specially if tactics come into play. Luke Durbridge, Michael Hepburn and Kelland O'Brien will be the key support men.
“Last year was a dream start to the season for me winning the national championships and then being able to wear the green and gold jersey at the Santos Tour Down Under in Adelaide, there’s no greater privilege for a rider," Plapp said in a press release. "I’ll be hoping to defend my national road race title in Perth the week before, so that could be the perfect lead into the TDU. Last TDU didn’t quite go to plan, after I had to abandon due to a nasty crash. We’ve got a great team and I’m ready for a much better race this time around.”
Mathew Hayman, the team DS, added: “Luke Plapp comes back after his crash in this year in January at TDU, and he’ll be leading the team. We also have Mauro Schmid coming out to Australia as well, he’s done well on the GC in the past. Campbell Stewart will be an option for the bunch sprints but it’s quite a demanding course this year".
Team Jayco AlUla for 2025 Tour Down Under:
Luke Durbridge
Chris Harper
Michael Hepburn
Kelland O'Brien
Luke Plapp
Mauro Schmid
Campbell Stewart
Read also
🔮 RACE PREVIEW
— GreenEDGE Cycling (@GreenEDGEteam) December 29, 2024
🇦🇺🇨🇭 Australian champ Plapp & Swiss champ Schmid headline squad at TDU.
🎤 "Tour down Under has met the level with a harder and harder course each year."
🇦🇺 #TourDownUnder - full details & team line-up ⤵️
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