Simon Yates contract discussions central to Jayco AlUla’s transfer strategy

Jayco AlUla’s transfer strategy centres around the future of Grand Tour leader Simon Yates, with the 31-year-old out of contract at the end of the season.

The Australian WorldTour team have ten open spots open on their men’s roster for 2025 but Yates is central to their planning as they look to build a team capable of progressing throughout the coming years.

After signing Luke Plapp to a multi-year contract at the start of this season, the team are hopeful that the Australian can one day develop into a Grand Tour leader but there is also optimism that Yates will re-sign to the squad and be a potential bridge before Plapp can take on more responsibility across three-week races. 

Read more: Luke Plapp: Last year I wasn’t given the chance to be a leader enough

“Simon has been part of the team since he and his brother came into pro cycling. He feels part of the team and has always brought in good results. What he did last year at the Tour de France last year was amazing, and what he did this year at the AlUla Tour was fantastic, so we’d like him to stay on board, and we’d like to keep those discussions open,” the team’s general manager, Brent Copeland, told GCN during a call on Wednesday.

“But we’ve not had a chance yet to sit down and discuss the sporting aspects of what we and him are expecting. That should happen in the next few weeks and I have had a call with his agent to set that meeting up.”

Yates has been quite relaxed concerning the situation, and hasn’t rushed to make a decision. There have been all sorts of unsubstantiated rumours in recent months, from a possible retirement at the end of 2024 to a long-term four-year deal being in the mix. Retirement is very unlikely but at the same time, Jayco have been linked to other riders in the market, including Jai Hindley and Ben O’Connor.

GCN understands that Hindley is set to stay at Bora-Hansgrohe for at least the next two years, while O’Connor remains on the market but would like to tie his future down before the Giro d’Italia. Having two major Grand Tour leaders on the roster for 2025 probably isn’t possible for Jayco at this stage but Copeland is hoping to solidify Yates’ future soon before concentrating on the rest of the gaps within the roster.

“If budget wasn’t an issue I’d say we were very confident of him staying but it does come down to what we able to spend and what we can do to keep him on board," he told us.

"With any team, the leader is important when it comes to shuffling the rest of the roster around. Even though you’re talking to different riders, until you lock in that leader, first of all with a budget and then secondly with the characteristics of the riders you want to bring in... it all need to be factored in. There are a lot of knock-on effects depending on when you lock in your leader.”

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There are ten spots available on the men’s team for 2025 but a high volume of those positions include veterans out of contract but who are likely to remain, for example, Luke Durbridge. Chris Harper was rumoured to be out of contract too but he extended last summer until the end of 2025, while talks with Lawson Craddock will take place in the next couple of weeks.

“We have ten spots available but we have a lot of riders that we want to keep have expiring contracts and the end of the year. We have guys who have been part of the team and the culture since the beginning and if we can find agreements in all areas then we’ll do that.”

Should Yates agree on new terms then Jayco’s strategy will be focused on renewals and one or two additions. The biggest refresh of the team will come next year, when Caleb Ewan, Dylan Groenewegen and Michael Matthews are all out of contract. 

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