Two track world champions and four rising road prospects make up the six additions to the freshman class of the Hagens Berman Jayco development team for 2025. The full roster of 15 riders was completed Friday with the addition of Wil Holmes of Australia, the junior World Record holder in the 3km Individual Pursuit, and Rubén Sánchez of Spain, the 2023 junior track world champion in the Elimination race.
The squad was represented at the 2024 UCI Road World Championships by six riders from five countries, with three of those riders returning - Adam Rafferty of Ireland, Gonçalo Tavares of Portugal and Ben Wiggins of Great Britain. Both Rafferty and Tavares recorded home victories in their U23 national time trial championships last year, while Wiggins won the silver medal in the men's junior time trial at Worlds in 2023.
Also among the nine returning riders are six 19-year-olds, including Rafferty, Wiggins and Samuele Privitera of Italy, who finished third on stage 7 at Giro d'Italia Next Gen.
Team owner and Director Axel Merckx was looking forward to having a full squad together in the new year, expected to be in Italy at the beginning of February.
"Wil’s accomplishments, including his junior record in the individual pursuit and national title in the time trial, speak volumes to what he brings to the team," Axel Merckx, team owner and director, said in a press release.
"[Rubén] has such high potential. Historically, we seldom have true sprinters on the team so we are excited to add such a fast rider. I think combined with the other talent on our team, if we can position him to get to the finish line, and set him up well, he’s going to win some races.”
This past season US U23 ITT champion Artem Shmidt graduated from the Hagens Berman squad to the big leagues by signing a multi-year contract with Ineos Grenadiers, while Alastair MacKellar, who had four top 10s for the team last year, departed for EF Education-EasyPost. Nino de Jong moves to Parkhotel Vaulkenburg and Maxence Place goes to Wanty-ReUz-Technord. Bizay Tesfu Redae of Ethiopia and Danes Kasper Andersen and Adam Holm Jørgensen will not be part of next year's roster.
New class for 2025
Holmes, an Adelaide native who turns 19 in February, signed a four-year deal with the squad, keeping him through 2028. He competed on the road for ARA-Skip Capital and U19 Academy Région Sud pb Giant the past two seasons. As the Australian men's junior time trial champion this past season, he won the ITT stage at Vuelta a Cantabria (UCI 2.1) and then finished fourth in the ITT at the world championships.
He crushed the junior men's Individual Pursuit national record at the 2024 Track Nationals, finishing in 3:08.181, five seconds faster than the previous record. Then in August, he set the junior world title in the same discipline, finishing in 3:04.161.
A proven time trial specialist, Holmes said he considers one of his strength to be "hilly road races with short to medium punchy climbs", which was evident with a second at Gran Premio 'Sportivi Loria', Tour Région Sud U19 and taking fifth in junior edition of Liège-bastogne-Liège.
Sánchez, who turns 19 on January 3, won the men's junior road race at his national championships in 2022. He won the Elimination junior world title in 2023 and took a silver this past year. On the road with the Baqué Cycling Team U19 team in 2024, he had nine top-10 finishes in one-day races, including victories at Memorial Juan Jose Beracierto and Amurrioko Sari Nagusia.
Daniel Moreira is the youngest on the roster who doesn't turn 19 until July. A native of Viana do Castelo, Portugal, he raced with Willebrord Wil Vooruit Juniors, winning Residence Valkenburg Klimclassic Juniors last year as well as two one-day races in his home country. He calls himself an 'explosive rider'.
"He has won some nice races and has quite a good punch. I'm excited that he is joining the team and that we are able to continue to develop riders from Portugal, something that I think we have been rather successful in doing," Merckx said.
Will Eaves is a second Australian newcomer, the 20-year-old based in Ridgley, Tasmania. He spent two seasons with ARA Skip Capital, going second overall at Trans-Himalaya Cycling Race and fourth overall at Tour de Kyushu in Japan in 2023. This past season he had top 10s in the men's junior road race and time trial at Australian road nationals followed by a full schedule of stage racing in Europe. His season ended in early summer when his appendix ruptured.
Carl Emil Just Pedersen, 18, of Denmark and Jesse Kramer, 21, of Netherlands are the final new riders for 2025. Just Pedersen spent the last two seasons with CeramicSpeed Herning CK Junior, this last season showing his time trialling abilities with stage wins at Keizer der Juniores and Internationale Cottbuser Junior, earning the silver at nationals for a second time and then finishing eighth at Worlds.
Jesse Kramer moves from Visma-Lease a Bike Development where he won a stage last year at Le Tour de Bretagne.
"Will is a really strong rider with ambitions to become a GC rider. He is showing resilience and strength after last season considering the complications with appendicitis," Merckx said.
"Carl is a very good time-trialist and up-and-comer. He has a lot going for him with good numbers and some solid wins. With a good attitude, an eagerness to learn, and high ambition, I think he's the ideal type of rider to develop over the years.
"Jesse has a lot of experience and we need a rider with that level of experience since we have such a young team. He will have more of a captain role on the team. Jesse has had great results already with the Visma Development Team, but in addition to experience, we feel he can add power to the team."
Hagens Berman Jayco 2025 roster
- Evan Boyle (USA)
- Matthew Cole (GBr)
- Will Eaves (AUS)
- Wil Holmes (AUS)
- Carl Emil Just Pedersen (DEN)
- Jesse Kramer (NED)
- Hamish McKenzie (AUS)
- Daniel Moreira (POR)
- Darren Parham (USA)
- Samuele Privitera (ITA)
- Adam Rafferty (IRE)
- Mattia Sambinello (ITA)
- Rubén Sánchez (ESP)
- Gonçalo Tavares (POR)
- Ben Wiggins (GBr)
