Jayco AlUla refresh roster for 2027 with Welsford and array of young talent

Jayco AlUla are preparing for their 16th season in the WorldTour, with Michael Matthews, Sam Welsford and Luke Plapp to lead the team following the departure of Ben O'Connor and Tour de France stage winner Mauro Schmid.

With an average age of 27, the Australian squad will have its youngest roster in more than a decade as several young riders make their debut at WorldTour level.

Ben Wiggins, Jed Smithson, Wil Holmes and Adam Rafferty step up from the Hagens Berman Jayco development squad, and Jayco have also signed France's Ugo Fabries from the UAE Gen Z development team. Other new signings include Alessandro Fancellu from MBH Bank and Mikkel Honoré from EF Education-EasyPost.

"It’s an exciting and refreshed roster for the 2027 season," Head of Performance Gene Bates said.

"Although we will lose some experience and leadership with guys like Luke Durbridge and Luka Mezgec retiring, I am sure others will step up, and we will see some fresh new faces making their mark on the season."

In contrast to the wave of new young riders, Matthews will start his 17th season at the highest level of professional cycling, and his 11th with the Australian team.

He turned 36 in September but appears rejuvenated after recovering from a terrible crash and double wrist fractures in the spring. He fought to finish second in the Montreal world championships and is expected to target Milan-San Remo in 2027 after going close to victory many times. 

Welsford is the biggest new signing for 2027 and joins from Netcompany Ineos. He will share the sprinting responsibilities with Pascal Ackermann. Welsford has seven Tour Down Under stages in his palmares and is likely to lead Jayco's ambitions at home in January.

Luke Durbridge will say his final goodbye to the team in January, competing for the team for the last time at the Australian national championships in his hometown of Perth. Britain's Paul Double will look to continue his progression as a GC rider in weeklong races, with Felix Engelhardt, Bob Donaldson, and Anders Foldager all expected to develop in 2027.

"Having Welsford joining the team will add another element of excitement and create some new goals for the squad in 2027," Bates said.

"It will also be great to see what riders like Michael Matthews, Andrea Vendrame, Amaury Capiot and Mikkel Honoré can do, being back to full health, with a new season and unfulfilled goals to chase.

"We had our first camp of the 2027 season last month in Northern Italy, and the vibe in the group is certainly a good one. The guys will go away now to start preparing well, with the Australian racing in January as our first hunting ground for 2027."