The veteran trio of Michael Hepburn, Chris Juul-Jensen and Lawson Craddock are set to return to Team Jayco-AlUla for next season, with Hepburn and Juul-Jensen confirmed with new two-year contracts and the two-time US men’s elite time trial champion signed for one more year.
The deal through 2025 for Hepburn will make him one of the longest-tenured riders at Jayco-AlUla, as he and fellow Australian Luke Durbridge have been on the WorldTour squad since the beginning in 2012.
“These riders are part of the foundations of our team and the all-important engine room. They each have very diverse roles and they always get the job done,” team General Manager Brent Copeland said in a media statement. “They know what they need to do, and they bring a lot of experience to the team, so it is important for us to keep them and continue this journey together.”
The 2024 season will be Hepburn’s 13th season in the WorldTour, and he also raced with Team Jayco Skins for two seasons as a teenager, winning the Australian U23 road race championship in 2010 and then a bronze medal in the junior time trial World Championship the next season.
“It’s no secret that I feel right at home in this team and I’m looking forward to continuing that relationship. There are incredible people all over this organisation and I feel very proud to be a part of the team’s history. I’ve grown a lot here and it’s been really special to see the team evolve over the years,” the 32-year-old Australian said in a team press release.
A versatile rider, Hepburn has ridden 12 Grand Tours and was fourth this season at Tirreno-Adriatico. He will feature in a number of roles and is an asset in the sprint train for powerhouse sprinter. Dylan Groenewegen has also agreed to continue for two more years, and accomplished fastman Caleb Ewan, returns to the Australian squad in 2024.
Like Hepburn, Craddock has a long pro career on the road going back to 2011-2013 with the Trek-Livestrong, turned Bontrager, development squad. The 31-year-old from Texas is known for his reliable engine that can produce results in time trials as well as on climbs. Craddock won a bronze medal at the 2010 World Championships in the junior time trial, and has finished fifth in the U23 race (2013) and sixth as an elite rider (2019).
In 2019, Craddock landed on the podium at the Vuelta a España and Larry H. Miller Tour of Utah. This past summer he finished fourth on stage 15 at the Tour de France to Saint-Gervais Mont-Blanc.
“I definitely feel like I found a new lease in my career after joining the team in 2022 and I am very grateful to Gerry Ryan and Brent Copeland for giving me the opportunity to join the team quite late in my career,” he said as he looked ahead to his third year with Jayco-AlUla.
"I really feel like I fit in well amongst the guys and I am extremely honored that the team put the trust in me, to keep me on board and I'm looking forward to making some more good memories in the future.”
Juul-Jensen has been with the GreenEDGE programme since 2016, and ridden 12 of his 14 Grand Tours during that time. A stage winner at the 2018 Tour de Suisse, the 34-year-old Dane has become a valuable support rider in stage races and one-day Classics.
“I have been lucky enough to enjoy eight great years with GreenEDGE Cycling and to continue for two more years says it all really, I love it here. The old and the new. I couldn’t imagine myself happier and hungrier for success anywhere else,” Juul-Jensen said.
A similarity with the trio is that each has won at least one time trial championships for his home country over the years – Craddock winning for the USA as a junior (2010) and twice as an elite rider (2021, 2022), Hepburn winning for Australia as a U23 and elite rider (2010 and 2015, respectively) and Juul-Jensen winning for Denmark in 2015.
The confirmation of their signings brings the Jayco-AlUla roster to 28 for 2024.
