'We're going to strategically look at the races where we can pick up points' - Jayco-AlUla target UCI ranking in 2026 to avoid relegation pressures

The Jayco-AlUla teams have completed their applications for places in the men's and women's WorldTour and are now keen to look to their future, convinced that their future and their budgets are in place for the next three-year WorldTour cycle.

The Australian team surprisingly missed the key UCI registration deadline of October 15 after team owner Gerry Ryan reportedly failed to provide the bank guarantee that underwrites the teams' salaries.

“We came pretty close to not having a team for next year,” team manager Brent Copeland admitted to Daniel Benson's Substack.

A series of decisive meetings led to title sponsor AlUla and bike sponsor Giant boosting their investment for the next three years alongside Ryan's long-term funding and team ownership. The UCI licence application was completed before the final deadline of November 3, and the team's future seems assured for the next three years.

"We were able to find a solution and able to get things over the line, it's all sorted out now, so we look forward to the future," Copeland tells Cyclingnews, with new Sporting Manager Gene Bates joining him during the lengthy, exclusive interview.

Copland made a point of thanking his 185 riders and staff for staying loyal to the team despite the recent problems and a difficult 2025 season. He prefers to look ahead than back, revealing Jayco-AlUla's hopes and ambitions for 2026 and beyond.

Ben O'Connor and Michael Matthews again lead the men's teams, targeting the biggest WorldTour races, but a part of the team will also target UCI ranking points as part of a calculated strategy to avoid slipping into a relegation battle.

Mavi García has left the women's Liv AlUla Jayco team, but Ruby Roseman-Gannon and Letizia Paternoster remain to lead an ambitious young lineup.

Bates managed the women's team in 2025 after working as a sports director with the men's team and with the Australian national team. The 44-year-old former pro rider from Sterling in South Australia has been promoted to a much bigger role as sporting manager and so will have sweeping responsibilities that include future rider recruitment, racing and performance.

In some ways, Bates replaces Matt White, who was a long-standing sports director and then performance director before being suddenly removed from the role a few days before the Giro d'Italia.

"If you keep doing the same thing, you get the same result," Gerry Ryan told Cyclingnews during the Giro d'Italia after his abrupt decision.

Copeland also told Cyclingnews.: "We're really pleased to get going with Gene, because I think he's going to be a huge asset and a big help in the team. To help things steady the ship and help things go in the right direction."

Bates lives with his family near the team's headquarters near Varese in northern Italy. He is bringing a fresh approach and new energy to his new role as the Australian teams start a new three-year WorldTour cycle.

"In a nutshell, I want to help and facilitate people so they're able to perform at their best," Bates tells Cyclingnews.

"We're going to really bring the coaches, the performance team and the sports directors closer together, to get that working well. Then we'll later in all the other vital departments. We're a team, and I think we can work really effectively together."

A change of strategy to target specific UCI ranking points

2025 was arguably one of the Australian team’s most difficult seasons. The women's team won just five races, while the men's team won 19 races, but they had hoped for much more.

2025 became a battle of survival, chasing UCI points, while trying to rebuild and reboot for the future.

"We won the Queen stage at the Giro to Sestrière with Chris Harper and the Queen stage at the Tour with Ben O'Connor, we were also one of only five teams to win a WorldTour stage race with Paul Double, but we finished 16th in the UCI team ranking that decides the next WorldTour licences," Copeland points out.

Copeland and Bates have decided to change tack for 2026 and beyond for the men's team, opting to walk a fine line between targeting major victories, while also scoring enough UCI points to avoid any relegation worries. The team's roster and future new signings will be adapted to these dual goals.

"I'm not saying we're going to race like XDS Astana did this year, but we're going to strategically look at the races where we can pick up points," Copeland says.

"Teams are desperate to hit the ground running in 2026, to make sure they're sitting in a safe spot for the three-year sporting criteria and so the next WorldTour spots. When Tadej Pogačar and UAE win so many races, you have to adapt your strategy, that's only logical."

The exact race and points strategy will be Bate's responsibility.

"We have important partners that want to see our jersey on the podium, but at the same time, we need to be taking care of business in the background around the points," Bates says.

"Ben O'Connor is capable of a top-five in a Grand Tour, and that's an important goal for us, so we need to support him to get to that result.

"At the same time, guys like Michael Matthews, Mauro Schmid and others are great at one-day Classics and races, so they can win but also score a lot of points during the season.

"The role of the performance team is to dissect the season and try to get down to that granular level of detail around what we are trying to achieve at different races and different moments of the season. We will target more one-day races, where there are more points on offer, and have different goals for smaller stage races."

Jayco-AlUla announced the signing of Pascal Ackerman this week, and he arguably fits into this points-scoring group, rather than being the team's designated sprinter. Signing Alessandro Covi from UAE Team Emirates-XRG and Andrea Vendrame from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale are part of the same points strategy.

Caleb Ewan, Dylan Groenewegen, Chris Harper, Eddie Dunbar, and other riders have left the team, reflecting the move away from pure sprinting, lead-out trains and Grand Tour racing.

Jayco-AlUla have adopted to the UCI points system, knowing that one-day races offer more opportunities and more points than stages. Like other teams, they are also using data analysts as they build their race calendar, to help understand hope they can maximise points in certain moments of the season.

"It is complicated, but that's the modern WorldTour," Bates says. "We've got some really great people involved, and we're using these next weeks to really plan accordingly for next season."

"Then it's got to be managed well, because riders all have their ideas, and they all want to win. But if you manage that group well, get them working together, you come up with a really good solution that provides a springboard and security for the whole team."

Getting O'Connor and Matthews back to their best, helping the young women's team grow 

Ben O'Connor and Michael Matthews stand out as team leaders in the men's roster. Both are proven talents, push themselves to be successful, but need the right team support.

"Riders will have peaks and troughs during their careers, and we are here to help them reach the highest peaks and work through the troughs," Bates says.

"Ben had an absolute stellar 2024, while this year he certainly had some hiccups and challenges, which prevented him from being able to race and perform at his best. Yet he still won a stage of the Tour de France, let's not forget that.

"He's an ambitious guy and can be very critical of himself because he wants to get the best out of himself. We're here to support him with that and set lofty but achievable goals at the same time.

"It's the same with Michael. He's a stalwart of the team, and we certainly know what he's capable of. Hopefully, his time out of the sport this year due to his pulmonary embolism has given him a chance to come back stronger and deliver results on the biggest stage.

Jayco-AlUla will sign or confirm several more riders in the coming days to complete their 2026 roster from the numerous talented riders that are still on the market. They will also tap into the Hagens Berman Jayco development team managed by Axel Merckx, swapping riders across the team to take advantage of having a development team.

Bates will also work on getting the full potential out of the full roster, including Luke Plapp, Mauro Schmid and others.

"We're going to work with Luke Plapp to help him find more consistency and develop into a mature bike rider," Bates says of the talented Australian.

"Mauro is an important rider on the team, then we've got mountain world champion Alan Hatherly, who is looking to step up on the road. I'm looking forward to seeing what Alessandro Covi and Andrea Vendrame can do with more freedom to ride for themselves."

Wim Stroetinga will take over from Bates as the sporting manager of the Liv AlUla Jayco women's team.

The Australian team was one of the strongest in the women's peloton and had Annemiek van Vleuten later in her career for five years, but have been surpassed by other, perhaps more wealthy, teams in recent years.

"There's a lot to be excited about in the women's team," Bates insists.

"Maybe they flew a little under the radar this year, but there's a lot of signs that they're on a great trajectory into 2026. I know that there's a lot of excitement within the rider group about what they can achieve together.

"Mavi García has left, but we felt that our focus should be more about the next two to three years. We have Monica Trinca, who was seventh in the Vuelta España Femenina; there's Letizia Paternoster, Ruby Roseman-Gannon, Silke Smulders and Ella Wyllie, who was just outside of the top 10 in the Tour de France Femmes."

Jayco-Alula and Liv AlUla Jayco will begin their 2026 season at the Australian national championships in early January, on the new course in Perth, and then again target the Santos Tour Down Under.

They won the men's and women's road race titles in 2025 with Lucinda Stewart and Luke Durbridge, with Plapp also winning the men's time trial.

O'Connor will also target the road race in 2026, on home roads in Perth. He is already down under for the winter.

"It's always motivating to try to bring home the green and gold, then carry that good momentum directly into the Tour Down Under," Bates said with a sense of newfound ambition.

"Ben missed nationals last year due to family reasons, but he's really excited to race this time.

"We're the only Australian-registered WorldTour team, both men and women, so it's important for us to go 'home' and start the season off well."