Jayco-AlUla have announced their squad for the Giro d'Italia, with Ben O'Connor leading the team's GC charge as he aims to improve on his fourth place at the 2024 race.
30-year-old O'Connor will be among a host of riders battling for the podium spots in Italy behind the favourite for the maglia rosa, Jonas Vingegaard.
He's set to face off against Giro contenders including the likes of Egan Bernal, Giulio Pellizzari, Adam Yates, and Felix Gall in the first Grand Tour of the season, which starts in Bulgaria on May 8 and concludes in Rome on May 31.
"This year will be my fifth Giro d’Italia, and I must say I always return with great pleasure. The Giro is a race I’m very fond of, also because it was the first Grand Tour of my career and where I won my first Grand Tour stage in 2020," O'Connor said.
"I also really like Italy; it’s a colourful place with plenty to see along the road from south to north. This year’s route is very balanced, with some key stages in the Alps and the one at the Blockhaus that are very important to focus on, and several tricky stages, such as those in the Marche and Liguria."
O'Connor will head to the Giro looking for his first win of 2026, with his most recent having come atop the Col de la Loze at the Tour de France last summer. So far in 2026, his best result came in the time trial at the Australian National Championships, where he finished fourth.
He heads to the Bulgarian Grande Partenza off the back of an eighth-place finish at the recent Tour of the Alps, while he finished 25th at his most recent race day at Liège-Bastogne-Liège.
In the mountains, O'Connor will be supported by Dutch climber Koen Bouwman and race debutant, cross-country mountain bike world champion Alan Hatherly.
Pascal Ackermann is the team's option for the sprint finishes, while Italian all-rounder Andrea Vendrame races his eighth Giro. Road captain Chris Juul-Jensen, German racer Felix Engelhardt, and another debutant, British rider Robert Donaldson, round out the selection.
"I’m very satisfied with the team we’ll have at the Giro d’Italia because it’s complete and capable of having a chance at winning every stage," said Jayco-AlUla directeur sportif Steve Cummings.
"Ben will be our man for the GC, and all his preparation has been geared towards the three weeks of racing that await us. Along with him, riders like Andrea, Felix, Alan, and Koen are really good on punchy terrain.
"Pascal will be in charge of sprinting, supported in this by Bob’s lead-out and positioning, while Chris will be our director in the race. The 2026 route suits very well a balanced team like ours and I imagine a relatively tight GC until the third week, when the Alps will decide who will be the final winner."
Who will challenge Jonas Vingegaard at this year's Giro d'Italia? Subscribe to Cyclingnews for unlimited access to our coverage of the Corsa Rosa. Enjoy unrivalled reporting from our team of journalists on the ground, including breaking news, analysis, and more, from every stage as it happens, plus access to the Cyclingnews app to follow the action on the go! Find out more.
