Ben O'Connor, the late addition to the Australian Olympic road race cycling team, has been confirmed as a major signing for Jayco AlUla.
O'Connor's transfer for next season represents the first time that Australia's only top-level professional cycling team will have a local as its main general classification rider for the Grand Tours.
There had been speculation for weeks that the West Australian would join the team, formed in 2012 with the backing of Melbourne businessman Gerry Ryan.
He will replace British rider Simon Yates, who has been with the Australian team for his whole career and gave Jayco AlUla their only three-week Grand Tour overall win at the 2018 Vuelta a Espana.
O'Connor, 28, currently rides for French team Decathlon AG2R. He finished fourth overall at the 2021 Tour de France and also at this year's Giro d'Italia.
He was drafted into the Australian Olympic team this week after Luke Plapp crashed out of the road time trial on day one at the Games. Plapp needed abdominal surgery and is now out of hospital.
In a Jayco AlUla statement, O'Connor said "excitement is an understatement" about his pending transfer.
"It’s really an idea I’ve always loved; to race as an Australian and win on an Australian team," he said.
"I’m at a point now where I need to deliver, so it’ll be even more special to do it with an Australian set-up. To have the opportunity to race with mates at the top level is rare, and I am just so keen to get stuck in.
"My ambitions are to stay aggressive, consistent, and hopefully one day change these fourth-place overall finishes at Grand Tours into overall podium placings."
"Victories are just as important, and throwing the hands up in the air as soon as I can is high on the list. It’s not ‘team Australia’ but it feels like that to represent the only WorldTour Australian cycling team."
O'Connor has joined the team on a two-year deal and general manager Brent Copeland said it was a significant signing.
“With Ben O’Connor we are obviously looking at someone who will fill in that general classification gap with Simon Yates moving on," he said.
"We feel that O’Connor will fit into the team well, culture-wise, which is really important for us.
"With the general classification, we believe he has room for improvement and with this team we will be able to get the best out of him."
O'Connor will ride in the August 3 Olympic men's road race alongside Jayco AlUla star Michael Matthews and Simon Clarke.
The popular speculation is that Yates is going to Dutch team Jumbo-Visma Lease a Bike as a key lieutenant for two-time Tour de France champion Jonas Vingegaard.
