Recently retired Italian veteran Alessandro De Marchi will continue his career in the sport, moving into a sports director role at Jayco-AlUla, where he has spent his final three seasons as a rider during his professional racing career.
After announcing his retirement during the spring, the Italian climbing all-rounder will begin his new job with the Australian outfit at the start of 2026.
“I’m happy to finally take this step, and above all, I’m happy because I can begin this new journey in an organization I know, one that recognizes me, and one that has always valued me for who I am,” De Marchi said in a team press release.
“I know I’ll be starting from scratch, I’ll begin to reconstruct myself in this new role, which I’d like to interpret a bit like I did as a rider: with passion and determination for a job I love. I’m also very intrigued to see and work on the process from a new perspective; it’s stimulating to think about how I can contribute now.”
Though his main role was as a domestique, De Marchi managed seven wins from a career that started in 2010, when he joined Androni-Giocattoli-Serramenti. Riding for Cannondale, BMC Racing, CCC Team and Israel-Premier Tech before his move to Jayco, De Marchi won three stages of the Vuelta, a stage of the Critérium du Dauphiné, Tre Valli Varesine and the Giro dell’Emilia. His most recent success came in 2024, with a solo success at stage 2 of the Tour of the Alps.
“It is fantastic to have Alessandro staying with Team Jayco AlUla for the next phase of his cycling career,” Jayco-AlUla’s Sporting Manager, Gene Bates, said.
“During his time in the peloton, Alessandro developed a reputation as an intelligent rider, and he is well respected within the bunch. The transition from rider to staff member can be a challenging one, but one we believe he will flourish in, and GreenEDGE Cycling will be a very good place for him to learn.”
The team announced De Marchi’s retirement in a team video released in mid-August.
“Those who know me have probably seen this coming, but let’s begin from the start,” De Marchi said. “First, I would like to read you something: ‘Sometimes change is not suffered, it is desired. It is a push that comes from within, that wants to be recognised, and above all to be listened to.'
“This is a phrase I came across in a book, and by no coincidence, it sums up perfectly the process that I have been going through these last months.”
However, he had been less poetic in an interview a few weeks before that, heralding his retirement and criticising increased aggression in the bunch.
“I won’t miss much about the peloton I’ve been hanging out with lately. It has changed too much, and there are many dynamics that I no longer like. There is too much aggression,” he said before suggesting his new career path.
“Obviously, I’m thinking about what to do once I get off my bike, and the main idea is to stay in cycling. More specifically, I would like to move to ‘the other side’ and get into the team car."
From Italy’s far north-eastern Friuli region, De Marchi closed his riding career on home roads, finishing 90th and 89th in the Giro Del Veneto and Veneto Classic, respectively.
