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Jayco AlUla thread

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Israel makes no sense. They're not a GC team at all.

Uno X for AGJ makes sense. They go for Scandinavians a lot.
 
Israel have the dollars and O'Connor being available is why Greenedge want an answer. Whether Ben is worthwhile is hard to say, his TT at the Giro has been really good but he has cracked on the climbs to guys he probably shouldn't be cracking to and he has had good support there. His age fits in well as there is a group of Aussies in the juniors looking pretty promising, Lucas Stevenson the top one but he is still only 16.

2 sprinters in the squad hasn't really worked and it's obvious Caleb has the lost the support of the team as he did at Lotto with his post race interviews blaming the lead out when the problem is him. If he doesn't retire at this end of this year, next year might be pretty awkward for re-signing a few others who have been there a while and have been very good for the team.
 
Its important to note the S.yates and O'Connor decisions are not linked as Jayco can fit both into the roster. Jayco gave up on Ewan after stage 13 and he will ride one day races and smaller stage races. Ewan is likely to retire. Jayco is interested in Groves if Ewan leaves. There will be minor changes in 2024 but the big changes will be in 2025.
 
yaco55 said:
Its important to note the S.yates and O'Connor decisions are not linked as Jayco can fit both into the roster. Jayco gave up on Ewan after stage 13 and he will ride one day races and smaller stage races. Ewan is likely to retire. Jayco is interested in Groves if Ewan leaves. There will be minor changes in 2024 but the big changes will be in 2025.
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Jayco may have given up on him. Unfortunately, that didn't stop the SBS commentary team from obsessing over him, every single time there was a sprint finish.
 

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It'll be an interesting balance between Zana, Dunbar, Plapp and O'Connor. Even Harper to an extent. The thing about Yates is that he was clear cut in the second tier of GC riders, whereas these guys are all third tier. O'Connor clearly the best of the four currently but is he good enough to have more than one climber to support in a two sprinter team?
 
Plapp is happy to work for somebody. O'Connor at 29 next year is at his peak. He's consistent, so you could be confident of top 5 at whatever GT he did. Yates is no doubt more talented but results wise doest really justify why you would pay him a lot more to achieve the same thing.
 
Just watched ep 3 of Le Tour Unchained, the sprinters episode, and was shocked to see Caleb within half a wheel of Japser on two of the three stages. I didn’t remember that at all!

How much difference a year makes. He couldn’t get near it at the Giro.
 
Koen Bouwman to sign as well. Handy addition, one of the best domestiques going around, wonder if Harper and Groenewegen got in his ear?
 

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This article suggests that Jayco are looking at signing triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt, who has ambitions of winning the TdF in 2028. Blummenfelt is apparently a cardio monster, with an unprecedented VO2 Max of 103 mL/kg/min, which is (apparently) 10% higher than that of Greg LeMond at his peak - and one of the highest ever recorded by anyone.
https://velo.outsideonline.com/road...-blummenfelt-plans-to-win-the-tour-de-france/
 
Vader said:
This article suggests that Jayco are looking at signing triathlete Kristian Blummenfelt, who has ambitions of winning the TdF in 2028. Blummenfelt is apparently a cardio monster, with an unprecedented VO2 Max of 103 mL/kg/min, which is (apparently) 10% higher than that of Greg LeMond at his peak - and one of the highest ever recorded by anyone.
https://velo.outsideonline.com/road...-blummenfelt-plans-to-win-the-tour-de-france/
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It's bold, but a risk worth taking depending on how much he'd cost.
 
eth-dog said:
It's bold, but a risk worth taking depending on how much he'd cost.
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Reading the article, I get the feeling that he's left the move a few years too late. He's 30 now, and would be 34 by his target challenge in 2028. Not many riders win the Tour that late in their careers.

But hey - no risk, no reward!
 
Vader said:
Reading the article, I get the feeling that he's left the move a few years too late. He's 30 now, and would be 34 by his target challenge in 2028. Not many riders win the Tour that late in their careers.

But hey - no risk, no reward!
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Maybe. But from a Jayco perspective it's something that takes them from a mid table WT side to one of the best outside the big guns.
 

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Orange Agent said:
What a season from Simon Yates...

Close the door on your way out.
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Eh. He's had a great career with us but it's time for both us and him to have a change. He'll enter next year's Giro as one of the favourites.

Ben O'Connor is a smart addition too, will allow us to stack the Nat's field even more.
 
So we've signed O'Connor, Bouwman, Patrick Gamper from Bora and Paul Double from Polti Kometa, and Hamish Mackenzie as a promotion from Hagens Berman Jayco. Add Kristian Blummenfelt that's 6 additions very early in the transfer season.

Yates is out. Craddock has retired. I suspect Alessandro De Marchi will as well. Grondahl Jansen likely to go to Uno-X. Leaves at least two of Mezgec, Durbridge, Hamilton, Harper, Scotson, Pena, Maas, Quick and Porter out.

Mezgec might retire, from a few whispers. I'd be surprised if Harper, Scotson, Pena or Maas were cut. Leaves one or two of Durbridge, Hamilton, Quick or Porter.
 
Now signed Bob Donaldson from Trinity who came second at Roubaix jnrs. Wonder what his team mate who is U/23 national champ and has beaten Pithie (who everyone has massive wraps on) this year is thinking. The rest of the signings this year appear to be cheap, domestique types who won't win or gain points and a GC rider who gives his best but has limitations. If they can offload Ewan to Astana they should do it. Not sure why Harper is unsigned, would have thought he was a priority. If Blumenfelt happens I think it will be a disaster, there is no way he is losing enough weight to be a TDF contender and that doesn't include whether he can learn how to ride in a bunch at WT speeds.
 
25 wins (equal 9th for the year). Their best year since 2019. Finished 14th for the year in terms of UCI points and are 15th overall for it as well in the relegation battle but barring a complete implosion they'll be fine, they're 5.3k outside the relegation zone.

Roster wise they're looking very climber heavy, the sprint trains are a little light on for next year with one spot most likely between Harper (who would logically be the one to keep even though we are climber heavy), Peña, Quick, Maas, Porter, Grondahl Jansen and Hamilton. It's going to be interesting who gets the last spot. Personally surprised that we've brought in guys like Double and Hellemose instead of continuing the investment into someone like Peña if it works out that way. Maas would also be very unlucky if he misses, for me he's had a much better year than Durbridge.

GC wise, Ben O'Connor has stated he wants the Tour and as the #1 GC rider you'd probably give it to him. But I also thought you'd give Zana or Dunbar the Tour as a possibility with neither having been there and using it as an investment into them. If Harper does end up going though I'd use two of the three at every GT though, maybe Zana and Ben at the Giro (who said he was open to doing Giro-Tour or Tour-Vuelta), Dunbar and Ben at the Tour then Zana and Dunbar at La Vuelta with another dedicated climber in support for all three.

Sprinter wise, the lead out trains lack depth. Mezgec, Walscheid and Reinders have become a strong trio for Groenewegen and I think that you probably see a combo of two or three of them with DG throughout next season. O'Brien and Stewart will probably be the lead out for Ewan mostly, and guys like Gamper and Sütterlin probably doing a bit of lead out work if necessary. Really important that they get the right sprinter to the Tour as the first stage will be a sprint stage, winning the first yellow is really important.
 

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