The absence of Jayco-AlUla and Liv-AlUla-Jayco from the initial list of teams applying for a men's UCI WorldTour licence and Women's WorldTour licence in 2026 is due to missing bank guarantees, according to an article published on Escape Collective.
Part of the process of registration requires a variety of key financial documents to be lodged with the UCI by October 15, and on October 20 the list of teams which had submitted essential documents was revealed by the UCI. The Australian-based men's and women's teams, which have been operating since 2012, were notable absences.
Both teams have been supported by Gerry Ryan through that period, with the team owner and companies with which he is associated, currently Jayco, the unmoving constant in the organisation. Other sponsors have come into the mix, from Orica in the early years to Saudi Arabia's AlUla more recently.
Escape Collective reported that a bank guarantee of 25% of the team rider and staff salaries, worth an estimated €3-4 million, had yet to be submitted, but the sources also said the team was confident that the guarantee would be provided in the coming days.
Cyclingnews has reached out to a Jayco-AlUla team source for comment, who said simply that "It is a paperwork issue and hopefully will be resolved soon." The same source would neither confirm nor deny that the delay was to do with the bank guarantee.
Although Jayco AlUla and Liv AlUla Jayco may not have been on the list of teams that had submitted all the essential documents, the UCI were clear that this did not mean those who had applied but not hit that first deadline had lost their chance to continue in the top WorldTour tier.
"They still have the possibility to rectify their situation before the end of the registration process, which would enable them to be registered for the 2026 season," said the UCI in the October 20 statement.
However, there are potential implications for any teams that end up in this situation.
"In accordance with the UCI Regulations and subject to other applicable provisions, riders from these teams may terminate their contracts early, but this right will lapse if their team is subsequently registered," said the UCI.
The final list of teams registered for the 2026 season will be revealed by the UCI on December 10.
The men's Jayco AlUla squad was ranked 16th on the team rankings in 2025 with seven WorldTour wins among their 19 victories for the season. The women's Liv AlUla Jayco WorldTeam was ranked eighth, with five victories, three of them at WorldTour level.
