Ben O’Connor will return to the Tour de France with clear ambitions to contest the overall classification, as Jayco-AlUla confirmed their eight-man lineup for the 2025 edition. The Australian squad will once again balance a dual approach, with O’Connor targeting the GC and Dylan Groenewegen chasing sprint success and the opening yellow jersey in Lille.
O’Connor, now in his first season with the team after joining from Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, said he’s aiming to return to the top five in the general classification, a position he has previously achieved at all three Grand Tours. “I’ve performed well in Grand Tours in the past so I’ll do everything I can to get back to the top five,” he said. “It’s always an exciting time, it’s the biggest race, and biggest stress, but it’s also the biggest reward.”
The 29-year-old has unfinished business with the Tour, having placed fourth on debut in 2021 but failed to reach the same heights since. After crashing out in 2022 and finishing 17th in 2023, he switched his focus to the Giro in 2024, where he was fourth overall. His return to France marks another key step in his GC career, as he looks to challenge a stacked field including Tadej Pogačar, Jonas Vingegaard, Remco Evenepoel and Primož Roglič.
Reflecting on the parcours, O’Connor described the route as a “race of two halves” and said the decisive moments will come in the mountains after the midway point. “You have northern France with some extremely punchy stages and then pretty much, from stage 10 onwards, all of the climbs are 30 minutes to one hour long. There are some really big cols and passes, so I think that’s where I will be enjoying the race a lot more. For me, it’ll be about getting through the first half and then executing in the second half.”
The team supporting him includes two Tour debutants in Luke Plapp and Eddie Dunbar. Plapp heads in with momentum after winning a stage at the Giro d’Italia in May, while Dunbar is also set to support O’Connor in the high mountains. Mauro Schmid is another debutant, fresh from winning both the Swiss road race and time trial titles.
Luke Durbridge returns for his 11th Tour appearance, bringing deep experience to a relatively young lineup. Luka Mezgec and Elmar Reinders are back as part of the lead-out train for Groenewegen, who will once again target flat stage victories and the maillot jaune in the opening weekend.
Groenewegen, who has six Tour de France stage wins to his name, is one of the few pure sprinters in the race capable of mixing it with the best, and Jayco-AlUla will be banking on him to deliver results while O’Connor builds his GC campaign.
Jayco-AlUla 2025 Tour de France lineup
- Eddie Dunbar
- Luke Durbridge
- Dylan Groenewegen
- Luka Mezgec
- Ben O’Connor
- Luke Plapp
- Elmar Reinders
- Mauro Schmid
