Team Jayco AlUla and the Australian Cycling Academy are delighted to announce that rising Australian talents Hamish McKenzie and Wil Holmes will race for the Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco team in 2024 and 2025, respectively, before stepping into the WorldTour peloton with Team Jayco AlUla.
McKenzie will move to the WorldTour in 2025 on a two-year contract and Holmes will join his compatriot in 2026, having signed a three-year deal.
Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco, run by former rider Axel Merckx, is co-sponsored by Team Jayco AlUla. It is an important partnership for creating a strong pathway for young riders to learn their craft before progressing to the WorldTour.
McKenzie, 19, is a burgeoning talent who rode for ARA Skip Capital and with GreenEDGE Cycling last year as a stagiaire for Team Jayco AlUla. He finished an impressive third place in the U23 time trial at the world championships in Glasgow last season and is a former junior Australian time trial and criterium champion.
17-year-old Holmes has showed his promise already this season, and followed in the footsteps of McKenzie, with a win in the junior time trial at the Australian national championships in Ballarat last week. Holmes, who currently rides for ARA Skip Capital will head over to Europe to compete with the prestigious La Pomme Marseille Provence junior team in 2024 before stepping up with the Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco team in 2025.
Merckx and his team have been key in guiding some of cycling’s top talents through the start of their careers. Through this relationship with the development squad, Team Jayco AlUla will be able to continue to spot talented riders early.
At the Australian Cycling Academy we are committed to providing a genuine pathway to professional cycling. Since our inception we’re proud to have provided our athletes with the best environment to reach their full potential and progress to the WorldTour.
Congratulations Wil and Hamish we can’t wait to follow this next chapter.
Axel Merckx – General Manager Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco
“It’s very important for our partnership that the riders feel comfortable on our team and to have Hamish already committed to move up to the WorldTour in 2025 is clearly defining the path for those riders. We are very excited to have Will Holmes on the team in 2025. He’s obviously a big talent and big hope in Australia and we’re looking forward to working with him.”
Brent Copeland – General Manager Team Jayco AlUla
“Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco is a well-established and very important team that has proven time and time again to nurture and support young talent and help deliver them to the WorldTour. By coming together, having Jayco a co-sponsor of the team thanks to Gerry Ryan’s continued support, it creates a clear pathway for young talent and we are thrilled with the signings of two upcoming Australian stars.
Hamish McKenzie and Wil Holmes have huge potential, and by providing them with a highly professional environment to grown within, we are confident they will be ready to make the step into the WorldTour peloton in the coming years. Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco is a crucial part of their professional development. With the announcement of the 2024 team jersey, the project has come to life, and we are honoured to be a part of the development of next generation of cyclist.”
Hamish McKenzie
2024 – Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco
2025/26 Team Jayco AlUla
“Joining Hagens Berman-Jayco and then Team Jayco AlUla is a dream scenario for me. I have high ambitions for this season. I really would like to get some wins or consistently get decent results on the board throughout the whole season. My main focus will be the U23 time trial world championships and having a good spring classics campaign, this is something I have not yet discovered and I’m extremely excited to test myself against the best on the cobblestones.
My big hope for my career is to continue on the path to the WorldTour with Team Jayco-AlUla and make it my career for as long as possible. Not many people get to choose something they truly enjoy as their job, so I would love to be able to do this for as long as possible. As for bigger goals, the races I dream of winning one day would be the Tour of Flanders and the world championships time trial.”
Wil Holmes
2024 ARA Skip Capital/La Pomme Marseille Provence
2025 Hagens Berman Axeon-Jayco
2026/27/28 Team Jayco AlUla
“I am super excited to be joining Team Jayco AlUla in the coming years and look forward to having a fantastic pathway with joining the best U23 development team Hagen’s Berman Axeon-Jayco as I learn to develop as a rider. It has been a dream of mine to join Team Jayco Alula since I was a kid watching them race at the Tour Down Under. I hope I can one day race the Tour de France and a dream race for me to win would have to be the Tour Down Under.”
