Team Jayco-AlUla

This Australian outfit started its life back in 2012, at the same time as its men’s WorldTour counterpart. 

The squad initially consisted mainly of Australian riders, but has since grown into a more international roster, though its core identity remains distinctly Australian. 

The last few seasons have seen the team lose some of its biggest-name riders, first Annemiek van Vleuten in 2020, then Grace Brown in 2021, and most recently Amanda Spratt, who had been with Jayco-AlUla since its inception. 

The team have made some good signings in response, most notably American all-rounder Kristen Faulkner, but are without a really

big name for the 2023 season. Sticking to their Australian roots, they have a number of Aussie sprinters to rely on, including Ruby Roseman-Gannon, Alex Manly and Georgia Baker, the latter two being stars in the national track team too.

Jayco AlUla will merge with Liv Racing TeqFind in 2024, creating one WorldTour team and also launching a development squad. 

Ane Santesteban

Ruby Roseman-Gannon

Kristen Faulkner

Letizia Paternoster

Georgia Baker

Ingvild Gåskjenn

Urska Zigart

Alexandra Manly

Georgie Howe

Amber Pate

Chelsie Tan

Teniel Campbell

Nina Kessler

Jessica Allen

Alyssa Polites

Chiara Doni

Racing

Analysis

Jayco AlUla Team Talk: Women’s teams combining forces to start anew

Jayco AlUla will become Liv AlUla Jayco in 2024

 were two of the Women’s WorldTour teams who were in need of a boost. Both teams had talent, strong riders and, crucially, bicycles supplied by 

. Nevertheless, the mixture was not quite right for either team to make an emphatic mark on the 

In a way, it was as if both squads were missing pieces to make them both true contenders across the racing calendar. Thus, 

when news came out that the two teams would be merging

 under one unified banner for 2024, the prospective mixture made sense. With the strengths of the two teams melded together, the newly-formed Liv AlUla Jayco team has legs the way that neither of the previous iterations had in 2023, even if the team has lost a crucial piece of the puzzle in 

Nevertheless, with the merger, there are many questions over how the next season will go. Will the influence of a different team ethos bring new life out of veterans? Will riders with competing strengths cause tension amongst the team? Who will be the leaders with the shake-up in hierarchy that comes from a combination of two structures?

All of that is yet to be determined and will ultimately be decided on the road, but here are a couple of our predictions for the year ahead, as well as a look back at what worked in 2023.

For Jayco AlUla, the team’s only win at the WorldTour level came early in the 2023 season with Alex Manly’s stage win at the Tour Down Under. Manly, who won stage 2 of the race, wasn't able to match that level the rest of the season but will be hoping to return to her winning ways in 2024. It wasn’t just about Manly in Australia, as Ruby Roseman-Gannon finished fourth overall and seventh at the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

Beyond the Australian swing to start the year, the team’s season seemed to stall, with their spot on the podium at Strade Bianche erased after Kristen Faulkner was caught wearing a continuous glucose monitor on her arm during competition, which is not allowed. That disqualification took away what would have been the team’s best result of the season, as Faulkner was unable to regain that level and had to take most of the second half of the year away from racing after 

One bright spot came in the form of Urška Žigart, who won the Slovenian time trial championship – the team’s only win besides the Tour Down Under stage – and a strong seventh place overall at the Tour de Suisse, but her summer was also disrupted after a heavy crash at the Giro. The rest of the team's success came in dribs and drabs, with a few top 10s in WorldTour races being the high points.

For Liv Racing TeqFind, the wins were even harder to come by, with Mavi García’s Spanish road race title the only notch in the team's win column. Nevertheless, that was not for a lack of trying. García, the team’s GC leader, was the most prolific, with numerous top-10s including overall at the Vuelta and the Giro. Likewise, in Paris-Roubaix Femmes, the team came agonisingly close to a shock victory, with Katia Ragusa coming in second. Beyond those two riders and those results, however, there was not much to write home with for the team.

It was a season of some near misses for both teams, but largely a year to forget. Fortunately, the merger can provide that fresh start to build on the bright areas that do exist on the combined roster.

Liv AlUla Jayco's Top Five in 2024

With the merger, the combined team has a whole new roster, for obvious reasons. Generally speaking, however, it is dominated by Jayco-AlUla riders.

While perhaps the strongest Jayco-AlUla rider is out, with Kristen Faulkner heading to EF Education-Cannondale, the main points of strength from the team are still in the line-up. The Australian pairing of Roseman-Gannon and Manly is back for the next year, as is Urška Žigart. So too is the Italian sprinter Letizia Paternoster. Paternoster is a track rider, so will have a split agenda in 2024 with the Olympics on the horizon, but has been rising slowly in the sprint ranks.

From Liv Racing TeqFind, most of the riders are out, including the Paris-Roubaix Femmes runner-up Ragusa. But, crucially, Mavi García has moved over to the new set-up and could be the key to the whole team's success. Not only does the Spaniard bring a wealth of experience, but she might have the race craft that could help the talents of Žigart, Rose-Gannon and Manly shine through.

Where Liv AlUla Jayco’s wins will come from in 2024

The five top riders on the team – Manly, Garcia, Roseman-Gannon, Žigart and Paternoster – have all been knocking on the door of a big win of late. For García, who will start the season at age 39, explosivity might be waning a tad, but for the other four riders who are all firmly in their prime, wins will be expected in 2024.

Of all of them, Alex Manly seems the most likely to deliver a win or two. While Roseman-Gannon has yet to win an elite race as a pro, 2024 could be the year she gets over the hump. The same could be said for Paternoster, who might be able to parlay her track peak into road wins. Žigart will want to continue to progress as a climber and a prospective GC contender, which could hurt her chances to take more wins as the women’s GC battle gets more intensive every year.

Ella Wyllie from New Zealand is the big hope for the future of the team. The 21-year-old from New Zealand has shown lots of promise in stage racing, including a second place in the youth classification at the Tour de France Femmes.

Wyllie has been a show of consistency at the highest level of cycling during her time at the Continental team Lifeplus Wahoo and will be making the step up to WorldTour level with the hopes of translating that consistency into an upward trajectory. With a strong group of riders building around her, Wyllie is in a great position to develop at her own pace and continue to show her strength as a GC rider for the future.

What did you think of Jayco AlUla and Liv Racing TeqFind's 2023 seasons? Can they step up to a new level together in 2024? Let us know your thoughts below!

News

Race News

Jayco/Liv merger to be named Liv AlUla Jayco, as Giant extend GreenEDGE partnership

Jayco AlUla and Liv Racing TeqFind will merge over the winter, to form a united Women's WorldTeam and new women's development side

After confirming the merger between themselves and 

 a couple of months ago, GreenEDGE Cycling has announced a contract renewal with 

 - part of the Giant Group - step up as the title sponsor of GreenEDGE's existing 

Jayco AlUla and Liv Racing TeqFind to merge in 2024

 will now become Liv AlUla Jayco from January 1 2024, whilst Giant's continued sponsorship will see the men's 

 team remain aboard Giant bikes for a further four seasons. For the women, including the new women's development team that will launch in 2024, Liv will be the bike manufacturer. 

GreenEDGE Cycling, of course, oversees both the two existing WorldTour sides under its remit. 

“Their commitment to the sport and our team is unparalleled," 

commented Jayco AlUla general manager Brent Copeland

. "It has been an honor to work with them for the last two seasons, and we have seen a lift in performances since we started this partnership.”

It has been noted by both the team and media alike that the men's Jayco AlUla's time trial performances have seen a distinct improvement since moving from 

 had particular praise for Giant following his time trial victory on the opening stage of the 2022 Giro d'Italia. 

The 2018 Vuelta a España champion will surely be particularly happy to see Giant extend their commitment to the team for a further four seasons, as he goes in search of more success at the Grand Tours. 

Women's development team to nurture talent from 'underrepresented regions' 

Currently a Women's WorldTeam in their own right, Liv Racing TeqFind will cease to exist in 2024 and have already seen plenty of their talents announcing new teams for next season, with 

, Silke Smulders, Quinty Ton, Jeanne Korevaar and 

 already pledging their services to the Liv AlUla Jayco outfit. 

Pro cycling transfers – every move for the 2024 season

As one bolstered Women's WorldTeam unit, Liv AlUla Jayco will look to secure even more high-profile results in 2024 to complement what they have already achieved as Jayco AlUla. However, this success will not come to the detriment of talent development, with GreenEDGE Cycling pledging to launch a new women's development team in 2024.

This side will share a name with the Women's WorldTeam, Liv AlUla Jayco, and will hopefully open a pathway for younger female riders towards the WorldTour ranks, but is said to have a specific focus on nurturing talent "from underrepresented regions." That pathway is yet to be fully explained.

“Giant and Liv support riders pushing the highest levels of the sport by creating innovative, high-performance products for a competitive edge," said Phoebe Liu, chief branding officer of Giant Group. 

"Extending our partnership with GreenEDGE Cycling further solidifies our commitment for men’s and women’s teams providing them with the highest quality bicycles and gear, helping them continue to succeed.”

Also announced as part of the contract extension was that all three GreenEDGE teams - the two WorldTeams and the new development outfit - will use CADEX components. CADEX are also part of the Giant Group. 

Kristen Faulkner signs for EF Education-Cannondale

Kristen Faulkner will move to EF Education-Cannondale for 2024 after two years with Jayco-AlUla

Kristen Faulkner signs for EF Education-Cannondale as American team's latest big-name transfer

 have added another rider to their growing roster for 2024, confirming the signing of 

Faulkner has been one of the most exciting American riders in the women’s peloton in recent years and will be one of EF’s main hopes in many of the biggest races as she bolsters their journey to move up to the WorldTour in future seasons.

“I've never been this excited about a team before,” Faulkner said of the move. “And I like it. It's very genuine, like I really feel intrinsically excited. And that makes me really happy because I feel like that means I'm on the right team.”

The Alaskan’s arrival marks another North American talent on the US team’s books, joining Americans 

 as the team looks to balance homegrown riders among international names.

Faulkner started her career on the American team TIBCO-SVB, but despite a successful two years on the squad, she was not offered a contract renewal and has spent two seasons with Jayco-AlUla.

“The first reason I wanted to sign with the team was that I really wanted to go back to an American team,” she said. “Being an American on an American team is important to me. The second reason is that I really aligned with the values of the sponsors, in particular with EF Education First being an education company. Education is something I deeply value.

“I’ve raced on Cannondales before and I love how they ride so it feels in some ways like I’m going back home. The final reason is the series of conversations I’ve had with the management. They talked to me as a person and not just a number and that was important to me going into the team. I also know some of the riders already and I’m excited to race with them.”

Alison Jackson signs for EF Education-Cannondale

A latecomer to cycling after transferring from college rowing and then a career in finance, Faulkner joined the pro peloton in 2020 with Team TIBCO-SVB, and has a quick rise towards the top of the sport, with three WorldTour wins under her belt already.

With victories in one-day races, time trials and hilly days of stage races, Faulkner’s specialism is not yet defined, but attracted the attention of EF with her aggressive style of racing.

“I like to go solo,” she said. “I like to work really hard. But I like to make it both a race and a game where it’s fun, it’s unpredictable and I can catch people off guard. I’m a rider who is time trial-heavy and very much an all-rounder with a penchant for attacking solo.”

Faulkner made headlines earlier this year when a valiant solo ride earned her a third-place finish at Strade Bianche, but the result was later stripped after it was noticed that she was wearing a continuous glucose monitor, the use of which is banned in competition.

Even missing her Strade Bianche podium spot, the 30-year-old’s palmarès is impressive with wins at the Tour of Norway, Tour de Suisse and the Giro d’Italia Donne, and she hopes to add to that list in 2024 with EF Education-Cannondale, where the Olympics will be a central part of her calendar.

Kristen Faulkner injured by a car in training

Her 2023 season has been derailed by injury, but she returned to racing in September and is working towards new goals next year. 

“I want to make the Olympics squad for the time trial and I want to become more of a GC rider,” she said. “I’ll probably go for results in races with a time trial. Depending on the race, I can see myself supporting the team or working on being a GC rider. I see myself as someone who can fill a lot of different roles.

“I don't have one distinct thing that I'm good at – I'm not a pure climber, I’m not a pure sprinter – and that gives me a lot of freedom to try different things. The team can use that to our advantage by using me to make the race unpredictable, someone who can win a race but in a very unpredictable way. But at the end of the day, I just want to win with this team.”

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Name	Age	UCI Career Wins	UCI Points
Ane Santesteban	33	1	807
Ruby Roseman-Gannon	25	1	731
Kristen Faulkner	31	10	667
Letizia Paternoster	24	5	584
Georgia Baker	29	2	539

Team Jayco-AlUla

Team Jayco-AlUla

The Team

Top Team Jayco-AlUla Stories

Jayco AlUla Team Talk: Women’s teams combining forces to start anew

Jayco/Liv merger to be named Liv AlUla Jayco, as Giant extend GreenEDGE partnership

Kristen Faulkner signs for EF Education-Cannondale

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