Aussie road transfers: The big moves that will shape the 2025 season 

As usual for the end of season, there’s plenty of movement in the pro peloton. This year, Australian riders feature heavily in the transfer merry-go-round: we’ll soon be seeing several Aussie stars in new and unfamiliar colours. 

The summer of cycling is just around the corner, starting at Road Nationals in Perth on January 8. That will be our first chance to see some of these riders riding for their new teams. 

 So, here’s a look at some of the Aussie road cycling transfers of the new year and how they will shape the season to come. 

Men’s WorldTour: A wave of new beginnings 

One of the most important transfers for 2025 is the homecoming of West Australian climbing talent Ben O'Connor, who is swapping from Decathlon AG2R to Team Jayco AlUla. 

Ben O'Connor is on the move next year.

O’Connor will be the Aussie team’s new grand tour leader, taking the place of Simon Yates. But, while we expect O’Connor to race the Tour de France in July, we’ll have to wait a little longer to see the Vuelta runner-up on home soil, as he’ll be skipping this year’s Nationals in Perth. 

Trading places with O’Connor will be Callum Scotson, who is making the reverse move from Team Jayco AlUla to Decathlon AG2R. 

Scotson will link up with junior world champion Oscar Chamberlain from Canberra, who will step up to the WorldTour from the French squad’s development team. Given he’s only turning 20 years old in January, there will be plenty of time for Chamberlain to grow and impress as he embarks on a three-year contract, likely with a focus on one-day classics and time trials.  

Alistair MacKellar won the U23 road race in 2023 and turns pro next year.

Also stepping up to the pro ranks is Alastair MacKellar, who is set to turn pro with EF Education-EasyPost. The Queenslander has been knocking on the door for a while, having won dual under-23 national titles in 2023. Next year marks the Queenslander’s first opportunity to show his talent at WorldTour level. 

A notable departure from Team Jayco AlUla is Lucas Hamilton, who will join the INEOS Grenadiers after eight years with the Australian team. Expect to see him supporting INEOS stalwarts such as Geraint Thomas and Egan Bernal next year.  

Women's peloton: A big Aussie shake-up 

For Aussie fans of women’s cycling, the transfer of former national champion Brodie Chapman is this season’s headline. She’s moving from Lidl-Trek to UAE Team ADQ  (making the switch alongside Italian teammate Elisa Longo Borghini). 

Brodie Chapman keeps an eye on Ruby Roseman-Gannon during the 2024 Road Nationals.

We hope this means Chapman will have more leadership opportunities of her own. She’s proved an invaluable domestique over the last few seasons, especially in the hilly classics. It does mean, however, at the National Championships she will be without team support, whereas she previously enjoyed the help of Amanda Spratt and Lauretta Hanson.  

Of particular interest will be how the move affects her time trialling. Next to Grace Brown, Chapman is Australia’s premier rider against the clock. The men’s UAE Team Emirates is regarded as having the best time-trial setup in the peloton, but the women’s team has not shared that reputation. Will this change with Chapman’s arrival? 

Another big transfer is that of Alex Manly, who has been a fixture of the GreenEDGE women’s squad since the start of her pro career. She will instead don the jersey of the AG Insurance- Soudal Team in 2025, joining up with Anya Louw and a (currently sidelined) Sarah Gigante to make a formidable Aussie trident. No doubt the Spring Classics will be a key focus of Manly as she joins the Belgian squad. 

 Alex Manly heads to AG Insurance-Soudal Team next year.

Moving to Liv AlUla Jayco, on the other hand, is Wollongong’s Josie Talbot. After two years at Continental level with Cofidis and a couple of race wins, the 28-year-old has earned her first WorldTour berth. One of her first assignments, no doubt, will be keeping Ruby Roseman-Gannon’s national title within the team when they start the year in Perth.  

Also moving away from Cofidis is 2021 national champion Sarah Roy who will have fresh beginnings with American team EF-Oatly-Cannondale.  

After two years with Team dsm-firmenich PostNL, Maeve Plouffe will land at Continental level next year with the British-registered Hess Cycling Team. This was the team of former road national champion Nicole Frain, who will double-down on her gravel focus by joining off-road outfit Ridley Racing Team.  

Talent on the rise: developing rider movements 

Below the top level, there’s a wealth of emerging talent making the leap to professional teams and development teams next year. 

ARA Skip Capital alumni Lucie Fityus (24) and Ella Simpson (21) will join Emily Watts (24) at the French outfit St Michel Auber 93, which will be one of the first UCI Women’s ProTeams, a new tier of women’s professional cycling team. After winning the 2023 National Road Series, Watts spent this year cutting her teeth in Europe with Belgian team Chevalmeire. 

Warrnambool Women’s Classic winner Lucinda Stewart (20) is joining Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental Team, the women’s development team of GreenEDGE. This January, Stewart will be a favourite to watch in the fight for the under-23 national title alongside WA’s Mackenzie Coupland. 

Lucinda Stewart moves to Liv AlUla Jayco Women's Continental Team in the new year.

On the men’s side, Luke Tuckwell (20) will take his talents to the newly formed Red Bull Bora-Hansgrohe Rookies, Matt Greenwood (21) makes a leap from Team Bridgelane to the Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Development Team, and under-23 time trial national champion Jackson Medway (20) has secured a spot in the under-23’s Tudor Pro Cycling Team. 

Bailey McDonald (21), who also rode with Team BridgeLane in 2024, will join Team Novo Nordisk next year. This ProTeam is made up entirely of athletes with diabetes.  

Wil Holmes (18) and Will Eaves (20) will both make the move to Hagens Berman Jayco, the official development team of Team Jayco AlUla, joining Hamish McKenzie there. It’s worth noting that Holmes and McKenzie have already secured contracts with the senior team from 2026 onwards. 

Finally, former under-23 Oceania champion Brady Gilmore (23) secures a full year with Israel Premier Tech Academy after a stint with them this year. 

Farewells 

Grace Brown’s retirement from professional cycling will make way for a new queen of Australian time trialling, starting with the elite women’s national title in Perth on January 9.  

Jimmy Whelan is also shifting gears, switching from road cycling to pursue a career in triathlon.