Race news
Jayco AlUla reward four Hagens Berman talents with 2027 WorldTour contracts
The Australian team have confirmed that they have promoted four riders from their development ahead of the 2027 campaign.
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Davy Rietbergen / Cor Vos
Jayco AlUla have confirmed that Wil Holmes, Adam Rafferty, Jed Smithson, and Ben Wiggins will step up to the WorldTour ranks in 2027. The quartet were part of the Hagens Berman Jayco squad in 2026, the development team of GreenEDGE Cycling.
The Australian team has reportedly found a new majority owner and sponsors for 2027 and beyond after long-term owner Gerry Ryan had announced he would end his support.
Holmes is the under-23 Australian time trial champion and initially signed with the squad with the ambition to turn professional in 2027. The 20-year-old has already raced with the WorldTour side on a couple of occasions this season, including at Milano-Torino.
“I’m really excited about joining the WorldTour team next season, it’s been my dream since I was a kid watching GreenEDGE at the Tour Down Under when I was 10 years old,” Holmes said.
“I’m looking forward to making the next step in my development as a rider and learning from some of the best riders and staff in the world.”
Rafferty makes the step up after a campaign that included a seventh-place finish at the Giro d’Italia Next Gen, a race where he won a stage the previous year. The 21-year-old Irishman ended his 2026 campaign racing for the WorldTour side at the Giro dell’Emilia, Coppa Bernocchi and Japan Cup.
Additionally, Adam’s older brother Darren has already established himself at WorldTour level. He signed for EF Education-EasyPost from Hagens Berman back in 2024 and has since ridden four Grand Tours.
“I couldn’t be happier to achieve my childhood dream of turning professional and I’m confident that there’s no better environment for me to make my WorldTour debut than with GreenEDGE Cycling,” Rafferty said.
“I can’t wait to get stuck into racing in 2027 and I’m really excited to get involved in the team’s Australian culture.”
Unlike the others who spent multiple seasons developing at Hagens Berman, Smithson joined at the start of this season from the Visma | Lease a Bike Development team.
The 21-year-old has also raced for the WorldTour team four times this season, including Scheldeprijs, where he finished 21st.
“The challenge of stepping up to race the big boys in WorldTour next season is a big deal. It feels like a coming of age but also a realisation that I have achieved a childhood dream of becoming a professional bike rider,” said Smithson.
“Something that I have worked very hard for over a number of years and I have countless people who helped me get to this position.”
Wiggins is the 21-year-old son of 2012 Tour de France winner Bradley Wiggins. He has featured for the WorldTour side on multiple occasions during his three-year development at Hagens Bermans.
This season Wiggins became the under-23 British time trial champion and finished 10th overall at the Lloyds Tour of Britain in September.
“It’s a really special feeling to be joining the WorldTour next year and to be racing for Team Jayco AlUla is a dream come true,” Wiggins said.
"I remember being at the Tour de France in 2019 and I was lucky enough to be invited around the bus the morning that Matteo Trentin won the stage for the team into Gap. Ever since that day, I wanted to ride for the team. I can’t wait to be a part of the races I’ve watched since I was a kid.”
In addition to the quartet, Jayco AlUla have already confirmed the arrival of Oliver Bleddyn, Ugo Fabries, Alessandro Fancellu and Sam Welsford for 2027.
