Ryan upbeat about future as Jayco AlUla head to Giro
Roger Vaughan |
Australia’s only top-level cycling team is determined to confirm that there’s life beyond Gerry Ryan.
As Jayco AlUla prepare to back their general classification (GC) contender Ben O’Connor at the Giro d’Italia, Ryan is confident the team will find the financial backing to continue past the end of next year.
Last month, Ryan confirmed that the end of 2027 would most likely mark the end of his team ownership.
That means added urgency for sponsorship negotiations at GreenEDGE, which runs Jayco AlUla and the women’s Liv AlUla Jayco WorldTour teams.
The withdrawal of Saudi support for LIV Golf has heightened wider concerns about the future of sports sponsorship out of the Middle East.
Jayco is the caravan business at the heart of Ryan’s extensive empire, while AlUla is a Saudi Arabian city.
Ryan told AAP that negotiations with AlUla and several other potential sponsors are ongoing.
“They (AlUla) haven’t given us any other indication, but they aren’t the only one – AlUla is part of Saudi, but we’re also talking to a couple of others in Saudi as well,” he said.
“The Saudis are not the only ones we’re dealing with (and) we’re covered for ’27.
“It’s business as normal and let’s win some races. We will be working hard … we had to change some things, which we did.”
GreenEDGE struck problems late last year with their registration, putting the team’s immediate future in jeopardy before the crisis was solved.
There have also been changes to key GreenEDGE personnel, with Gene Bates taking over as Jayco AlUla’s general manager.
While Ryan is indicating his massive backing of the team has an end date, one of Australian cycling’s most important figures remains a passionate fan.
He will head to Italy to watch the last two weeks of the Giro.
“I’m looking forward to seeing Ben at the Giro,” Ryan said.
“The Giro is a favourite of mine – it’s a special sporting event.”
O’Connor will be the only Australian in Jayco AlUla’s eight-rider Giro team, showing how much the team has evolved and changed since it started in 2012.
The Perth rider finished fourth at the Giro two years ago, his best overall result at a Grand Tour, and will aim for a podium finish.
“This year will be my fifth Giro d’Italia, and I must say I always return with great pleasure,” O’Connor said.
“The Giro is a race I’m very fond of, also because it was the first Grand Tour of my career and where I won my first Grand Tour stage in 2020. I also really like Italy.
“This year’s route is very balanced, with some key stages in the Alps and the one at the Blockhaus that are very important to focus on, and several tricky stages, such as those in the Marche and Liguria.”
The summit finish at the Blockhaus in stage seven will be an early pointer for riders such as O’Connor and race favourite Jonas Vingegaard.
The Giro will start in Bulgaria for the first time, with Nessabar hosting stage one on Friday night (AEST).
Jai Hindley, who was the first Australian to win the Giro in 2022, will lead Red Bull -Bora-hansgrohe.
Michael Storer (Tudor), Chris Harper (Pinarello Q36.5), Jack Haig (Netcompany Ineos) and Jay Vine (UAE Team Emirates) are other notable Australian climbers in the field.
Gympie sprinter Kaden Groves (Alpecin-Premier Tech) will hunt stage wins and Jenson Plowright will be one of his teammates.
A strong Australian contingent will also feature Robert Stannard (Bahrain-Victorious), Callum Scotson (Decathlon), Nick Schultz (NSN) and Chris Hamilton (Team Picnic PostNL).
AAP