OFFICIAL: Netcompany INEOS' pure sprinter breaks his contract and joins Jayco AlUla on a two-year deal
Cycling
The rumours had been looming large and now it has been made official: Sam Welsford has signed with Team Jayco AlUla. The Netcompany INEOS broke his ongoing contract with the British team and has left it without a sprinter into 2027.
“Sam is a late transfer from Netcompany-INEOS this year. We have come very close to having Sam on our team in the past and it is really great that we have been able to finalise this deal and have him on our roster for the next two seasons," head of performance at Jayco Gene Bates said in a press release.
The Australian was already expected to make the departure from INEOS after one of his two-year contracts, but the move nevertheless comes as a hit for the British team who is also losing its other sprinter Ben Turner - and potentially Filippo Ganna, who's also had his success on the sprints.
"Sam is well known to the team staff and riders, having raced for Australia for a number of years on the track, particularly at the Paris Olympics, where he was a key contributor in the men’s team pursuit winning gold and setting a new world record".
For Jayco, the Australian sprinter was a priority, and is a true investment for 2027 and 2028 "We are really looking forward to working with Sam and his abilities on the road. He is really focusing on road racing now and in the sprints. He will add a great deal of motivation to the group and having him allows us to focus on some big projects for 2027 and 2028.”
Team Jayco AlUla have lost Sam Welsford
Welsford joins Jayco with high ambitions
After two years with the Picnic PostNL team and two with Red Bull - BORA - hansgrohe, Welsford stood out as a pure sprinter. A track specialist, his abilities onto the road don't often come together to win sprints, with that often taking place only in Australia. He is a seven-time stage winner at the Tour Down Under over the past three editions and his latest win was there this January.
Welsford has achieved a few notable results throughout his year at INEOS but throughout much of the season has also acted as a domestique during the classics and some stage-races. His last participation was at the Gran Premio del Lazio, and no other is in his schedule for the time being. In the meantime, his head is already on next season's objectives.
“I’m really excited to be joining Team Jayco AlUla next season," Welsford added. "After five years racing at the highest level, it feels like the right time to come home and be part of an Australian team with such a strong history in the sport".
"I’m looking forward to bringing my experience, continuing to develop and, most importantly, racing for something that feels very close to home. I’m really motivated to see what we can achieve together and proud to represent Australia on the world stage".
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- Gonna get you too….Mistermaumau09-10-2026
- Very sad, another career down the tubes. 2 years and he will be off to a top team.
Senna196009-10-2026 - If you looked at the pcs UCI individual SEASON standings you would have a more accurate reflection of the current standings without the influence of last year’s.Lozza09-10-2026
- Just because little Remmy, has the bigger ego, doesn't mean he wins.. all his wins have been when Pog hasn't been around, and that was because Pog let him, in the tour and now he's gone up a notch, psycho/egotistically.. 🙄
leedorney09-10-2026 - Well, this is a mass exodus if I ever saw one...anonymouscyclist09-10-2026
- @Jumpyjohn I believe it is because of Lombardia, at least that is what Remco stated during an interview after his Euro Road win.anonymouscyclist09-10-2026
- Not much need to get that jersey when he's got the world championship jersey to wear for another year.Vpotts09-10-2026
- Where it got him?MajorPayne09-10-2026
- It’s very simple, there is almost no money in cycling journalism (none of us pays anything here and probably very little elsewhere). People are getting paid for clicks and likes for far more “fun” viewing than reading articles so websites like these are left to share “syndicated” material and do hypothetical reporting and interviews, like asking questions without getting answers. I don’t think we should be blaming messengers, let’s think a little deeper, also about our own role and choices.Jumpyjohn09-10-2026
- I see you corrected the error but can you now please tell us how it affects your conclusion, which for me was the most important part. You said (at 1300) a much faster “shutter” speed would be needed or solve certain issues. Now that we’re at 13000, what is your opinion, is that fast enough or should technology invest further for even more precision so we’ll never ever have joint medals again but far more losers questioning results. I was extremely disappointed with FIFA’s announcements of being able to prove they made a correct call when awarding or not a penalty/goal (can’t remember which way it went) in the case of inside the ball technology that supposedly could have measured whether the ball did or didn’t touch a players hair which would have altered the result. My reasoning, if the tech is THAT precise, then it would permanently be giving false signals at random moments as the ball encountered obstacles such as flies, mosquitoes, droplets, leaves, larger loose particles, etc. and nobody would be in a position to distinguish properly. Of course, maybe it was hyperbole (funny people get the pronunciation right, funny also if they don’t)) or a reporting/editing mistake but nobody seems to have clicked, perhaps because a certain overturned card took away all the attention?Jumpyjohn09-10-2026
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