Luke Durbridge, Lucas Hamilton and Callum Scotson have each signed two-year contract extensions with BikeExchange-Jayco that will see them race with the squad through to the end of 2024.
“Re-signing these three Australian riders, Durbridge, Hamilton and Scotson was very important for us as an organisation as they have all proven to be key members of the team, on and off the bike, as hardworking teammates but also for achieving results in their own right. These three riders all have very different strengths and are very versatile riders that are very much valued on this team," said the team's general manager Brent Copeland.
"Durbridge is one of the original riders to join GreenEDGE Cycling, he has been here from the start, and he knows the ins and outs of the organisation and has developed so much over the years, becoming one of the more experienced riders on the team. Hamilton and Scotson are still both young and we believe they both have a lot more left to give.”
BikeExchange-Jayco also recently announced the signing of Filippo Zana, Chris Harper, Felix Engelhardt, Ingvild Gåskjenn and Elmar Reinders to the men's roster while Simon Yates has also committed to another two years at the squad. The team has also signed Letizia Paternoster to the women's roster, and extended with Urška Žigart for another two seasons.
Durbridge, 31, has been a part of the team since 2012 and preceded that with two seasons at the Continental team Jayco Skins. By the end of 2024, he will have raced 13 seasons with the WorldTour outfit. The four time Australian elite time trial champion's ability to forcefully drive on the front of the bunch means he has been a key domestique over the years, with no less than eight Tour de France appearances.
"Team BikeExchange-Jayco is changing and continuing to get stronger with the likes of Groenewegen joining and boosting the sprint team even more and I am looking forward to continuing to be a part of the team’s success in the sprints, time trials and Grand Tours," Durbridge said. "We have big ambitions for the next two years.”
Hamilton, 26. turned professional with BikeExchange-Jayco in 2017, and has in recent seasons been provided with opportunities to test himself as a supported general classification rider, coming fourth at Paris-Nice in 2021. He also came 13th at the Giro d'Italia in 2022, a race where he started out riding in support of Simon Yates who left on stage 17 due to persistent knee problems following a crash. Hamilton, who is also lining up at the Vuelta a España in support of Yates, is expected to play a role in the team's goals of targeting more success in Grand Tours and hilly stage races across the calendar.
“I am really happy to be re-signing for the next two years with Team BikeExchange-Jayco, I have been with this team since I was an under-23 rider and I would really like to try and keep progressing in the general classification realm at Grand Tours. It hasn’t always been smooth sailing but in the next couple years in this team, with its support, I am really excited to see what we can do together," Hamilton said.
Scotson, 26, has been with the squad since 2018 and while he is an asset on the flat terrain, assisting with sprint finishes, is also a strong climber and aims to support the team in the Grand Tours.
“I’m very happy to stay, over the last four years the team has had a lot of belief in me and supported me to keep improving. Recently I’ve been happy with my ability to support the team in the big races, like at the Giro d’Italia earlier this year, so over the next two years I aim to continue that. If I can find some personal success along the way, then that would be really nice too," Scotson said.
