Team Jayco AlUla enters the transfer market with a renewal of their Classics hopeful from UK

Giro d'Italia steals the cycling world spotlight in May but in the background, a battle even more thrilling than that for Maglia Rosa takes place. Of course, the talk is about the transfer negotiations as teams use all their tricks to secure the best possible future of their formations, while rider agents look to do the same for their clients. On this battlefield, Team Jayco AlUla certainly doesn't hold the strongest trump cards in face of teams like UAE Team Emirates - XRG, but that's all the more reason to make sure to not let go of home-grown talents such as Robert Donaldson, who signs a two-year extension with the Australian squad.

Surely, the 24-year-old Donaldson is not a wonder kid of the caliber of Paul Seixas or some of the other up and coming names, but the Brit's progress during this season indicates that he could have an interesting future ahead of himself in the Classics. This spring, Donaldson finished 5th at In Flanders Fields, and rode a strong Paris-Roubaix to conclude the race in a respectable 35th place. As a former runner-up from the espoirs version, there's definitely room for growth.

"I am really happy to resign with the team," Donaldson said in a team press release. "They’ve made me very happy and shown that they trust me, and supported me very well in this last year and a half. I wanted to continue that with the team and thankfully they wanted the same."

"I think that the trust going both ways is very powerful and I’m happy to keep that going. The team giving me opportunities to race and get results for myself has been really beneficial to me. It means that I can improve as a bike rider and enjoy cycling as much as possible."

With Donaldson secured for the foreseeable future, the Jayco AlUla roster now lists 19 names for the 2027 season as Ben O'Connor and Mauro Schmid remain the biggest question marks with the Swissman's future linked to a possible move to Pinarello Q36.5 Cycling Team.

But for the moment, it seems as though Sporting Manager Gene Bates is happy how the team is coming along:

"We’re really pleased to be able to announce the extension with Bob. We’ve already seen Bob developing well with a breakthrough result at In Flanders Fields with fifth place. I think it demonstrates his ability, particularly in those races in the spring. It’s something that suits his abilities and his style of racing, and it’s something we look forward to strengthening over the coming years. Bob is a great teammate and a great team player so keeping him on board is something that’s really going to strengthen the team going forward."