BikeExchange-Jayco hoping to put 2021 struggles behind with new roster featuring Lawson Craddock
The rebranded team has increased its roster size to 28 with seven new riders.
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Next year will be different, or so BikeExchange-Jayco hopes.
After a difficult 2021 campaign that saw it bring in just eight wins, the Australian has finalized a roster for next year that management hopes will bring it out of the doldrums.
Seven new riders have come on board for next year — including American Lawson Craddock and rising stars Kelland O’Brien and Campbell Stewart — as the team’s roster grows by one rider to 28.
Also read: BikeExchange-Jayco closes women’s roster with six new riders for 2022
Esteban Chaves, Mikel Nieve, and Robert Stannard will leave the team this winter, but the likes of Simon Yates, Michael Mathews remain.
“Over the last two seasons our roster has changed, so we also need to do things differently and adapt,” sport director Matt White said. “We have traditionally been a team that has won races across our roster from January to October and never relied on one star to deliver the majority of our wins. We did not achieve this in 2021 and it’s an area we will again focus on in 2022.
“The Grand Tours are of course very important objectives, especially with leaders like Simon Yates and Michael Matthews, but in this rebuilding phase, winning races anywhere and everywhere is also crucial. With these changes in mind, we will alter some of our goals for the coming season, and that also involves adapting our style of racing when required.”
Also read: Lawson Craddock signs with Team BikeExchange through 2023
The team was slow off the mark when the transfer window opened at the start of August, but it has been gradually building out its roster in recent weeks. General manager Brent Copeland believes the new line-up will bring the team a more successful 2022.
“We can be very satisfied with the work that has been done this year by the performance staff, who have done an exceptional job together with the sport directors and technical staff,” General Manager Brent Copeland explained.
“Along with our team owner Gerry Ryan, who is deeply involved in these important team decisions, I truly believe we have done a detailed analysis of the past season and we are confident that the decisions have been made in the best interest of the team, both with regards to rider selections as well as team goals and ambitions.”
BikeExchange-Jayco 2022 roster
Alex Balmer (SWI, 21)
Jack Bauer (NZL, 36)
Sam Bewley (NZL, 34)
Lawson Craddock (USA, 29)*
Kevin Colleoni (ITA, 22)
Luke Durbridge (AUS, 30)
Alex Edmondson (AUS, 27)
Tsgabu Grmay (ETH, 30)
Lucas Hamilton (AUS, 25)
Michael Hepburn (AUS, 30)
Damien Howson (AUS, 29)
Amund Grøndahl Jansen (NOR, 27)
Kaden Groves (AUS, 22)
Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN, 32)
Tanel Kangert (EST, 34)
Alex Konychev (ITA, 23)
Jan Maas (NED, 25)*
Michael Matthews (AUS, 31)
Cameron Meyer (AUS, 33)
Luka Mezgec (SLO, 33)
Kelland O’Brien (AUS, 23)*
Jesús David Peña (COL, 21)*
Callum Scotson (AUS, 25)
Nick Schultz (AUS, 27)
Dion Smith (NZL, 28)
Matteo Sobrero (ITA, 24)*
Campbell Steward (NZL, 23)*
Simon Yates (GBR, 29)
*New rider for 2022