Team BikeExchange-Jayco Announces Four New Rider Signings

Team BikeExchange-Jayco is pleased to announce its continued support in developing young Australian talent, confirming the signing of four promising riders, 22-year-old Blake Quick and 21-year-old Rudy Porter for the men's team and 27-year-old Amber Pate and 19-year-old Alyssa Polites for the women's team.

Blake Quick & Rudy Porter

Quick, by name and nature, threw himself onto the team’s radar back in January when he won the U23 Australian Road Race Championships in style as well as an impressive stage win at the Santos Festival of Cycling. The Brisbane-born rider then continued to impress overseas this season, with top-10 finishes at Le Tour de Bretagne and Alpes Isère Tour.

GreenEDGE Cycling is confident that the 22-year-old has a lot of potential yet to unleash and will be able to challenge at the highest level in sprint finishes, having developed a great turn of speed previously competing on the track, where he won the Junior World Championship Madison and two bronze medals.

Porter, known for his climbing strength and ability to perform in stage races, also has experience of racing in Europe having enjoyed overall podium finishes in races such as the Course de GP Jeseniky, and is ready to step into a full season of professional racing next year. Both riders will join GreenEDGE Cycling on two-year neo-pro contracts starting on January 1st, 2023.

The signings come off the back of the contract renewal of team leader Simon Yates, with the squad hoping that this young generation of Australian talent can follow in the footsteps of the Briton, and other Australian riders, that also joined GreenEDGE Cycling as young neo-pros and developed into some of the world’s best elite road racers.

Australian Duo Also Step Up to WorldTour Level

Team BikeExchange-Jayco is pleased to add two more Australian talents to its women’s team roster, with the signing of 27-year-old Amber Pate and 19-year-old Alyssa Polites.

Pate is a familiar face, having joined the team as guest rider during the Santos Festival of Cycling in January. The former South Australian triathlete of the year had a standout ride at the 2021 Australian Road Race Championships with a fourth place and more recently finished on the podium in both the road race and time trial event at the Oceania Continental Championships.

The rider from Adelaide has experienced some overseas racing this year with a stint in Belgium, including a win at the Grote Prijs Albert van Leuven and seven top-five finishes. The Australian outfit is motivated to show her the ropes in European and see what the talented 27-year-old can achieve in her first professional season with the squad next year.

Continuing along the development pathway, 19-year-old Alyssa Polites is a young talent for the future, having already won the road and time trial event at the Junior Australian Championships, and having enjoyed an outstanding ride earlier this season in the elite category, where she sprinted to an impressive third place behind the seasoned professionals.

With their clear talent and determination, but inexperience of racing in Europe, Team BikeExchange-Jayco riders and staff are looking forward to welcoming the duo into the WorldTour peloton in 2023 and assisting them to reach their full potential.

Gerry Ryan – Team Owner

“We are very excited to bring some new young Australian’s on to the team next year, we are an organisation that has enjoyed helping young riders develop and become winners in the WorldTour peloton and we believe we have found two great Australian talents in Quick and Porter.

They are two different types of riders, and it will be with great pleasure to help transition these two riders into the European peloton and seeing what they can achieve. Afterall, this is the new generation of cycling, and we want to give them the best start possible.”

“We’ve also seen some top results from [Amber and Alyssa] over the past year and they are clearly two very talented riders. Hopefully we can give them the right support and environment that they need to develop into top international riders.

There are a lot of role models on our women’s team, and we have seen many young Australian riders become very successful in the Women’s WorldTour peloton, so it is exciting for us as an organisation to be adding more Australian riders to the roster and together, I believe we can achieve great things.”

Brent Copeland – General Manager

“It is of course important for GreenEDGE Cycling and Gerry Ryan that we continue to find and develop Australian riders. That has always been a key aspect of the team and by signing Quick and Porter, and we are excited to work with them both and help with their develop in the coming years.

Both riders have shown their strengths and already have experience racing overseas. They will have some of the best riders in the world around them, to be inspired by and learn from, with many of the riders on our roster having followed the same pathway, leaving Australia as young neo-pro’s and quickly settling in into the team and the WorldTour peloton. We believe these two riders will be a big part of the future of cycling.”

“Getting top results at Australian and Oceania Championships is no easy feat, and we can see that these two riders, Amber and Alyssa, have achieve just that and have therefore shown some great qualities that we are honoured to bring into our women’s team.

Continuing to grow and develop riders from Australia is of course important for us as an Australian organisation and it is inspiring to be a part of this development of the new generation of riders as women’s cycling is on a huge wave upwards.”

Blake Quick

“It’s been a really big goal for a long time to turn professional at the top level and I’m super excited to join Team BikeExchange-Jayco, the only Australian WorldTour team. I have big dreams and I couldn’t think of a better place for me to start my professional road career orwith better people to chase those dreams. I very happy and cannot wait to start with the team next season.”

Rudy Porter

“I’m stoked to be joining this amazing organisation. One of my first cycling jerseys as a young kid was from GreenEDGE Cycling and to now be able to wear it as a professional rider on the team, it is incredible and I can’t quite wrap my head around it yet.

It’s a really exciting time and I am extremely proud to be part of the new generation of this team where I’m sure we will achieve great things as a group. I can’t wait to get started and learn from some of the best in the sport to continue my growth as a rider. I’d like to also say thanks to all who have supported me so far in my journey as I embark on a new chapter in my career with GreenEDGE!”

Amber Pate:

“I am extremely proud and excited to be joining GreenEDGE cycling. I have always admired the way GreenEDGE Cycling run as a team, their values, and the way the riders present themselves both on and off the bike.

I have so much respect for the riders on the team, and I am so excited to learn and gain experience from each of them, and it will be a perfect fit for me to continue my development as a rider.

My objective for the new season is to find my strengths and weaknesses in the professional peloton, establish myself further as a rider within the team, and build from there with the support of GreenEDGE.”

Alyssa Polites:

“I am super excited and grateful for this opportunity to join GreenEDGE Cycling. Having already met and trained with some of the Aussie girls on the team, it’s a great introduction into the pro-peloton for me. I’m looking forward to contributing to the team’s success and getting to know how it’s done properly over in the Women’s WorldTour peloton!”