Simon Yates has been left out of the BikeExchange-Jayco team for the Tour de France, with Dylan Groenewegen and Michael Matthews leading the squad’s hunt for stage victories.
Yates won two stages at the Giro d’Italia but his general classification challenge faded after he injured his knee in an early crash in the opening week and he abandoned the race in the third week.
The Briton was tentatively scheduled to ride the Tour in search of stage victories, as he did successfully in 2019, but his participation was contingent on his recovery from the knee injury that ended his Giro prematurely.
It seems likely that Yates will instead ride the Vuelta a España, where he claimed overall victory in 2018.
In Yates’ absence, BikeExchange-Jayco’s squad is built around challenging for stages wins through Groenewegen and Matthews. The Dutchman will be the team’s focal point on flat stages, while Matthews will look to add to his tally of three stage wins.
Chris Juul-Jensen starts the Tour in his home country, while Nick Schultz, who caught the eye on last year’s Giro, will make his debut in the race. The BikeExchange-Jayco squad is completed by Jack Bauer, Luke Durbridge, Luka Mezgec and Amund Grøndahl Jansen.
“This is an experienced group to be taking to what is always a beautiful, yet stressful block of racing,” directeur sportif Matt White said in a statement released by the team.
“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.”
Groenewegen, who joined BikeExchange-Jayco from Jumbo-Visma during the off-season, returns to the Tour for the first time since 2019. He has won four stages at the race in his career, including on the Champs-Élysées in 2017.
The Dutchman prepared for the Tour by riding most of a mountainous Critérium du Dauphiné and then by winning a stage at the Tour of Slovenia.
“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,” said Groenewegen, who will rely on Mezgec as a lead-out man.
“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. The sprints at the Tour 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.”
BikeExchange-Jayco for the 2022 Tour de France
- Michael Matthews
- Dylan Groenewegen
- Chris Juul-Jensen
- Nick Schultz
- Jack Bauer
- Luke Durbridge
- Luka Mezgec
- Amund Grøndahl Jansen
