Jayco AlUla riders informed of new long term investor as team moves closer to stability

Jayco AlUla has moved a significant step closer to securing its future after riders and staff were told that a new long term investor has been found.

Daniel Benson reported on Thursday that an all hands call was held at 9.30 CET with riders and staff from Jayco AlUla, Liv AlUla and Hagens Berman Jayco. According to Benson, the meeting lasted less than ten minutes and was led by team owner Gerry Ryan and general manager Brent Copeland.

The purpose of the call was to reassure the wider organisation about its future after months of uncertainty surrounding the team's finances. Crucially, Benson reported that a new long term investor is set to come into the project and that Ryan, who has financed the Australian team for many years, will remain involved.

The development follows detailed reporting from WielerFlits earlier this week, which revealed that Jayco AlUla had encountered renewed financial problems during the spring.

According to WielerFlits, the team faced difficulties after payments connected to AlUla were delayed amid instability in the Middle East. The Saudi region had already reduced its financial contribution under a new agreement, according to the report, leaving the Australian organisation under increasing pressure.

Those issues had a direct impact on the team's activity in the transfer market. While rival teams were building their squads for 2027, the Australian structure had limited room to manoeuvre and several important riders made decisions about their futures elsewhere.

Tour de France stage winner Mauro Schmid has agreed to join Pinarello-Q36.5, while Ben O'Connor will return to Decathlon CMA CGM. Letizia Paternoster is also leaving the women's programme for Human Powered Health.

Behind the scenes, however, work was already taking place to secure the team's future.

WielerFlits reported that one interested party emerged during the Tour de France, with riders subsequently being told during the race that a solution to the financial problems had been found. An announcement had initially been expected before the race reached Paris.

The delay did not appear to signal that the search for a solution had stalled. Instead, a second interested party had entered discussions. That party was reportedly prepared to go further than simply becoming a sponsor and was willing to take over the team from Ryan. Both interested parties were said to be considering a commitment covering several years.

At the time of the report on Tuesday, the future of both Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco was described internally as 99 per cent certain.

Benson's reporting two days later provides another important piece of the picture.

The fact that Ryan is expected to remain involved suggests that the agreement presented to riders and staff will not result in an immediate departure for the man who has been central to the team's existence for more than a decade.

The identity of the new investor has not yet been made public. It is also unclear which of the interested parties previously reported by WielerFlits is involved in the agreement, or how the new investment will be structured.