'We have a versatile team' - Ben O'Connor leads Jayco AlUla at Tour de France

The 29-year-old O'Connor will share leadership duties with Dutch sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, who returns to the Tour yet again and will be aiming to add to his six Tour stage victories, including one from last year's Tour on stage 6.

"We have a really versatile team, and I've performed well in Grand Tours in the past so I'll do everything I can to get back to the top five, which I've been able to finish in at the Giro d'Italia, Vuelta a España, and Tour de France," said O'Connor in the Jayco AlUla’s statement.

O'Connor, riding his fourth Tour of his career also brings impressive Grand Tour credentials to the table. He placed second overall at the 2024 Vuelta a España and has completed a full set of Grand Tour stage victories.

Australian time trial and road race champion Luke Plapp will make his Tour debut after his breakthrough solo stage victory at the Giro d'Italia. Plapp will be aiming to recreate that 40 km solo effort to take an elusive stage victory at the Tour at the first time of asking. Plapp will also provide key mountain support alongside Irish climber Eddie Dunbar, who is another Tour debutant for Jayco AlUla, following a seventh-place finish at the 2023 Giro and two stage wins at the 2024 Vuelta.

Groenewegen, who recently secured a double stage victory at the Tour of Slovenia, will be supported by his trusty lead-out man, Luka Mezgec and Elmar Reinders, both instrumental in his Tour stage win in Dijon in 2024.

"It's time for one of the biggest and most prestigious events of the season, and we have been preparing for this year's Tour de France for a very long time," said team general manager Brent Copeland, in a statement released on Monday. "It is never an easy task to put together a team line-up with dual ambitions, however, we are confident we have a great balance of riders."

The squad is completed by veteran and Australian national road champion. 34-year-old Luke Durbridge, competing in his 11th Tour, along with Swiss time trial and road race champion Mauro Schmid, who makes his debut and offers options for Jayco AlUla in breakaways on medium mountain stage as well as packing a strong punch in steep kickers to the line.

Sport director Mathew Hayman highlighted the varied challenges of the route: "The opening stage is a sprint stage and for a sprinter to be able to take the yellow jersey at the Tour de France, I'm sure that excites Dylan. Then, it's a really challenging first 10 days with quite a lot of punchy, classics-style stages."

O'Connor is particularly looking forward to the second half of the race: "The route is a race of two halves. You have northern France with some extremely punchy stages and then pretty much, from stage 10 onwards, all of climbs are 30 minutes to one hour long. There are some really big cols and passes, so I think that's where I will be enjoying the race a lot more."

• Ben O'Connor (AUS)
• Dylan Groenewegen (NED)
• Mauro Schmid (CHE)
• Eddie Dunbar (IRL)
• Luke Durbridge (AUS)
• Luka Mezgec (SVN)
• Luke Plapp (AUS)
• Elmar Reinders (NED)