The Australian WorldTour squad will bring three Australians to the 2022 Tour de France, with three-time stage winner and green jersey victor Michael Matthews, Luke Durbridge and Nick Schultz set to fly the flag at the Copenhagen depart of the French Grand Tour.
The squad will be led by sprinter Dylan Groenewegen, the big off-season acquisition from Jumbo-Visma a four-time stage winner at the Tour looking to add to that tally early in the race.
“The second stage in Copenhagen is a stage I am looking forward to, I hope there is not too much wind so it can finish with a sprint,” said Groenewegen. “The sprints at the TDF are always hectic, not only with all the sprinters but there’s always general classification riders trying to stay at the front too for the time, so it’s always busy in the bunch and this makes it different to other races. Having these experienced riders around me in the finals will be important during the whole Tour.”
“I’m looking forward to returning to the Tour de France, the last time I raced was in 2019 and it was a success for me, and so it is great to be returning this year. I will have a strong team, the best support that I need, with really good lead-out men like Luka Mezgec. We’ve been working a lot together this year, we’ve had some good wins and that is the big goal for us in France.”
Michael Matthews has rarely had a leadout role during his career, though he notably did the job for Kaden Groves’ stage victory at Volta a Catalunya in a reduced bunch sprint situation.
The role of Groenewegen’s final man will likely fall to Slovenian fast man Luka Mezgec, with two flatland powerhouses in New Zealander Jack Bauer and Norwegian Amund Grøndahl Jansen, both with crucial support roles.
Christopher Juul-Jensen backs up from the Giro d’Italia for his fifth Tour de France, while Schultz is the team’s strongest climber on paper and Durbridge will be a strong card for the cobbled stage.
“This is an experienced group to be taking to what is always a beautiful, yet stressful block of racing,” said Matthew White, Head Sport Director for BikeExchange-Jayco.
“We have a team of guys who can win stages and be very competitive across the three weeks over various terrains. There is one thing for sure; this group will put their hearts and souls into our daily plans and objectives from day one in Copenhagen, until we cross that finish line in Paris.”
Team BikeExchange-Jayco 2022 Tour de France Line-Up:
Jack Bauer (NZL) – 7th appearance
Luke Durbridge (AUS) – 8th appearance
Dylan Groenewegen (NED) – 5th appearance
Amund Grøndahl Jansen (NOR) – 5th appearance
Chris Juul-Jensen (DEN) – 5th appearance
Michael Matthews (AUS) – 7th appearance
Luka Mezgec (SLO) – 3rd appearance
Nick Schultz (AUS) – Debut appearance
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