Dylan Groenewegen and Caleb Ewan will share sprinting leadership and responsibility at Jayco AlUla in 2024, with the Dutchman targeting the Tour de France sprints and Ewan the Giro d'Italia, before possibly switching goals for the 2025 season.
Ewan will make his WorldTour debut in Jayco AlUla colours at the Tour Down Under in Australia, keen to land some early success after his troubles at Lotto Dstny and transfer to Jayco AlUla.
"It's never easy to manage two talented sprinters but looking at the race programme, I think we can manage it well," Jayco AlUla team manager Brent Copeland told Tuttobiciweb, adding further details when speaking to Cyclingnews.
"The big question was our plan for the Tour de France because every sprinter wants to ride the Tour and win stages there. We've decided on a plan where Dylan will ride the Tour de France in 2024 and Caleb the Giro, then we'll see what happens in 2025.
"They'll both get a chance to target lots of sprint wins throughout the season. Caleb is really motivated to start the season on form in Australia and is also taking aim at Milan-San Remo. We'll also have Michael Matthews for Milan-San Remo and other Classics."
Matt White, the head of Performance and Racing at Jayco AlUla recently gathered in Turin with the team's performance staff to finalise their 2024 race programme. Some riders will train in Spain in December and January, while most of the Australian contingent will be at home for the Australia summer.
After signing Luke Plapp from Ineos Grenadiers, Mauro Schmid from Soudal-QuickStep and Max Walscheid from Cofidis, Jayco AlUla have strengthened their squad in every area. Simon Yates remains as Grand Tour and stage race team leader, with Eddie Dunbar and Filippo Zana also stage race talents, while Matthews is a Classics and stage hunter.
"Our roster is strong in lots of ways, we've done well with our signing strategy," Copeland suggested.
"Of course, the more leaders you have, the more difficult it becomes to manage them and decide the race programmes. Matt White and his performance group are doing a fantastic job and the puzzle is coming together."
"We've still to decide Simon Yates' major goal for 2024. He was fourth at the Tour de France and did very well but we want to see the route of the Vuelta a España before making a final call on his Grand Tours for 2024. The Tour is likely, considering the time trials in the Giro, but we've also got to sit down with Eddie Dunbar and Filippo Zana to focus on their goals and put all the final parts of the puzzle together."
Plapp and Schmid are respectively 22 and 23 years old and represent the future of the team. Both will have more leadership opportunities than at their previous teams.
"They're two talented riders, who can produce results and who we can help develop and improve even more. They're both long-term signings," Copeland explained.
"Luke impressed at last year's UAE Tour but then was doing different things in different races for Ineos, perhaps as they tested him out for the future. We hope he can take another step up with us and fly the flag for Australia. We'll give him and Mauro more leadership opportunities and see how they go with that."
Ewan only won one race in 2023, the Van Merksteijn Fences Classic in Belgium, but is still only 29 despite a ten-year professional career. He finished third and then second to Jasper Philipsen in early Tour de France sprints but then suffered in the mountains and abandoned on stage 13, much to the ire of Lotto Dstny team manager Stephane Heulot. A consensual divorce and transfer was the best option for everyone.
Ewan spent his first five years at Jayco Alula and returns 'home' hungry to move on and win again.
"I think he's going to have a good 2024. His morale is high, he seems to be pleased with his decision to join Jayco AlUla and we're definitely pleased to have him. We both can't wait to get things going and start winning together," Copeland said with optimism.
"He definitely wants to hit the ground running in Australia. He rode the Tour Down Under with the Australian national team last year but will be with us there and we're all keen to get some early results.
"The Tour Down Under is important for us as a team and for him. Some early success at our home race would be a great start to 2024."
