Picnic PostNL lost its leaders, and didn't renew the new Australian national champion who was out for revenge: "I even told Rudi Kemna I'd embarrass him"

Team Jayco AlUla's blunder as the Australian national championships created a new awkward situation for the team, which was used to the fullest advantage by Patrick Eddy. The Team Brennan rider was actually in the World Tour until last fall, but was not renewed by Team Picnic PostNL and was out for a taste of revenge.

"I haven't won anything since I became national junior champion. I've lost myself a bit as a rider in recent years. This was an opportunity to race aggressively again, to enjoy racing again. I want to thank the people at Team Brennan enormously for that. I think I've found myself a bit again," Eddy said in a post-race interview.

The 23-year old moved to the World Tour structure in 2024 but was featured in a domestique role and didn't stand out. His departure from the team wasn't met with the best reaction. And in Perth, Eddy put on the performance of his career to match the various attacks from the World Tour Australian team, and later on follow Luke Plapp up the final climb as he reeled in his own teammate Luke Durbridge.

But Eddy was riding with his own motivations in the race. "I even told Rudi Kemna I'd embarrass him when he showed me the door" he revealed. At age 23 there iss still a lot of future ahead for Eddy, who is now the Australian champion. "This one's for you, mate," he said ironically to his former boss.

Because he hasn't had prominent leadership roles since turning pro, Eddy is also still in the process of discovering exactly what type of rider he is. A fast finisher, but with no doubt a rider who can also ride the climbs well, as shown this Sunday in Australia.

"In Langkawi, I was allowed to ride for myself, for the first time in those two years. My main job is usually to lead out our sprinters. I also think I'm better at leading the sprint than riding one myself. Actually, I'm still discovering myself as a rider," he explains. "I'm not a pure sprinter, and I want to show my skills in the Classics as well. I still need a bit more time." That will likely have to wait a here however, unless he gets signed back into the World Tour soon over a contract buy-out - Filippo Conca had that happen last year after winning the Italian national championships.

"The move to Europe is never easy for Australians. But this team provides an excellent environment for young riders to thrive. This was the number one team I wanted to join for the youth program because I'd heard about their setup in Sittard (in the Netherlands, ed.), and you can see many young riders making great strides here as well. Ultimately, they made my transition to Europe much easier," he concluded, nevertheless praising the team's structure over his development.