"Partners want to see at the podium": New Jayco director balances on the complex task of keeping the team running
Cycling
Jayco AlUla had a dizzy period in recent months with complicated financial situation almost pushing the Australian team over the edge. At one point, riders were even allowed by UCI to leave the team, but ultimately everything came together successfully for both the men's and women's teams to continue through 2026.
"We were able to find a solution and able to get things over the line, it's all sorted out now, so we look forward to the future," team manager Brent Copeland told Cyclingnews.
Looking back, the 2025 season was far from perfect for Jayco AlUla as the Australian team had to realistically watch their back as the battle for promotion was breathing down their necks. Ultimately, Jayco finished 16th at the three-year ranking with some notable successes, having overcome multiple obstacles along the way.
"We won the Queen stage at the Giro to Sestrière with Chris Harper and the Queen stage at the Tour with Ben O'Connor, we were also one of only five teams to win a WorldTour stage race with Paul Double, but we finished 16th in the UCI team ranking that decides the next WorldTour licences," Copeland evaluates.
Like Astana, but differently
In the 2026-2028 period, Copeland hopes to evade such nerve-racking final months. In order to achieve that, some tactical changes will need to be implemented. One of the decisions that should bring Jayco more success on the UCI ranking is lining up to 2026 without a pure sprinter star in their ranks. Instead, the objective will be on stage-hunting, one-day races and GC in smaller races.
Ideally to get as close as possible to renesance XDS Astana went through in 2025, although the approach will be different. "I'm not saying we're going to race like XDS Astana did this year, but we're going to strategically look at the races where we can pick up points," Copeland says, pointing out that in the era of superteams like UAE Team Emirates - XRG, it's hard to be consistently on the winning side.
"Teams are desperate to hit the ground running in 2026, to make sure they're sitting in a safe spot for the three-year sporting criteria and so the next WorldTour spots. When Tadej Pogačar and UAE win so many races, you have to adapt your strategy, that's only logical."
Introducing, Gene Bates
The exact race and points strategy will be a responsibility of a newcomer Gene Bates. Strictly speaking, it's unfair to call Bates a newcomer as he's had worked in the Australian strcuture for over a decade with breaks. Most recently, the 41-year-old has been in charge of the women's team but in 2026, he should be in charge of tactical aspect of men's team.
One of his tasks will be balancing out visibility at the grand stage and point-farming in smaller competitions. "We have important partners that want to see our jersey on the podium, but at the same time, we need to be taking care of business in the background around the points," Bates also told Cyclingnews.
"Ben O'Connor is capable of a top-five in a Grand Tour, and that's an important goal for us, so we need to support him to get to that result. At the same time, guys like Michael Matthews, Mauro Schmid and others are great at one-day Classics and races, so they can win but also score a lot of points during the season."
"The role of the performance team is to dissect the season and try to get down to that granular level of detail around what we are trying to achieve at different races and different moments of the season. We will target more one-day races, where there are more points on offer, and have different goals for smaller stage races."
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- Bingo...I was going to say a 12 year obsessed Pogi fan girlie ! Like she's chasing a teen boy band! All glossy eyed about tadej!frieders312-11-2026
- That stint in the Pink was so good. If memory serves he struggled with the champagne cuz he'd never been on the podium before. I feel like it gave him some self-belief, and yeah - then the move to Visma to be one of their lieutenants has really brought him to the best version of himself.wrsty12-11-2026
- So, you never really compared Paul Seixas with his main rival Isaac Del Toro why jump to Pogačar? They've (Paul & Isaac) raced together here and there, and they've both shared in wins and losses, I think they should be compared to each other, even with Vingegaard and Remco first before even touching Pogačar. From your writing it's like he's better than Vingegaard, Remco and Del Toro already that his main target is now Pogačar 🤔Sadick11-11-2026
- gee i hope its a minor injury. a great rider and ambassador for the sport. get well soon Lucinda.
Davide11-11-2026 - some of lidl-treks retention and recruiting has been puzzling in the mens and womens teams.Davide11-11-2026
- Yeah his ride at World's was unreal. Over 6 W/kg for over an hour and a half...he single handedly destroyed the break.DAS11-11-2026
- Exactly, you hit the nail on te head.... Ayuso sucks. 3 to 4 years ago some cycling experts were comparing Ayuso as the "new Pogi"... but he's not even close to him... either physically or mentally. Capish you naive schoolboy?PogiSloFans11-11-2026
- I think they expected more from riders like Carlos Rodriguez, Vauquelin and Magnus Sheffield. Imo they should have focused on signing Primoz Roglic, at least they´d probably have had a guaranteed podium GT finisher (he still might sign for them). Now they have 2nd or third tier riders in the classics (Ben Turner, Arensman, Beloki and hopefully Onley can step up again even more). Sheffield, August, Bernal, Tarling and Geoghan Hart did not live up to the star expectations eventually..Jonatan11-11-2026
- Fuuuuuuck, Ciccone and Pidcock on the same team, attacking like crazy and taking it to the other competitors? Yes, please.Occam11-11-2026
- Oh Cameron, this win has been a long time coming! We could not be more proud. All I’ll say is: roll on Glasgow 🔥anonymouscyclist11-11-2026
Loading
Write a comment