One of women's cycling's best climbing prospects, Ella Wyllie, has signed a two-year deal with Jayco-AlUla.
Wyllie will make the step up to a WorldTour team after an impressive 2023 season riding for LifePlus Wahoo, which saw her finish second in the Tour de France Femmes young rider’s classification behind Cédrine Kerbaol.
Despite not riding for a WorldTour team in 2023, Wyllie has experience at the biggest races outside the Tour, having completed the trio of Ardennes Classics alongside week-long stage races at Itzulia Women, Vuelta a Burgos and the Tour of Scandinavia.
“It’s always my goal to strive for my best and see how far I can go, so I believe the next step in my development as a rider is with Team Jayco-AIUla,” said Wyllie in a press release. “The foundations of the team are strong with good staff, riders and competitive equipment. It will be exciting to see what we can achieve together in 2024/2025.
The Tour was a big standout for the 2-year-old Kiwi, as she finished 11th on the queen stage up the Col du Tourmalet behind only some of the finest climbers in the women’s pro peloton - Demi Vollering (SD Worx), Annemiek van Vleuten (Movistar) and Kasia Niewiadoma (Canyon SRAM) to name a few.
“I enjoyed my race calendar this season with LifePlus Wahoo but I’m always up for a new challenge, as long as there’s a few climbs I’ll be happy," Wyllie added.
“For the future, Le Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift is such a special race, so to win the yellow jersey would be the dream.”
Wyllie seems a perfect fit for the Australian team and having adapted so quickly to European racing, the team hopes for her to develop into a “consistent high achieving rider in the WorldTour peloton and eventually a team leader at Jayco AlUla.”
She is the seventh rider to join the team for 2024, with the majority coming from Liv Racing TeqFind following the two team’s merger being revealed in July. Mavi García, Jeanne Korevaar, Quinty Ton, Silke Smulders, Caroline Andersson and Anna Trevisi are already confirmed for next season.
“We feel very proud to be able to bring Ella onto our team for the next two seasons,” said Jayco AlUla General Manager Brent Copeland.
“She has clearly demonstrated her talent and raw potential with a whole host of results in her first full season racing in Europe, and this is thanks to the great support she received at team LifePlus Wahoo."
“Our riders and staff know first-hand what it is like for young athletes to move overseas from Australia and New Zealand and set up a new life in Europe, and we are confident that we have the resources and support needed to help individuals such as Ella enjoy a long and successful career.”
