Cycling Australia

Cycling Australia is pleased to announce that Jayco has re-signed as Cycling Australia’s national teams’ naming rights sponsor, with a significant level of investment secured for the sport over the next four years, representing a multimillion dollar deal over an eight year period.

Out of the ashes following the 2008 Beijing Olympics where Australia delivered just one cycling medal, Gerry Ryan and his company Jayco, joined forces with Australian Sports Commission and Australian Institute of Sport to inject critical support into Cycling Australia’s 2012 London Olympics campaign.

Since 2008, Australian cycling has had its most successful quadrennium of World’s and major event performances, with consistent podium success and top nation rankings across Track, Road, BMX and Para-cycling for male and female elites, U23’s and juniors.

At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Australia subsequently delivered six cycling medals and finished as the second best track cycling nation.

“There is no question, that the support from Gerry Ryan and his company Jayco has been instrumental in the recent successes of our National Teams,” said Kevin Tabotta, Australia’s National Performance Director.

“Jayco are a dream sponsor for Australian sport. Gerry Ryan is genuinely passionate about being part of the success of Cycling Australia’s high performance athletes teams and programs.

“Gerry and Jayco backed us in when times were tough and I hope that Gerry gets great pleasure in knowing he was a big part of our journey over the last four years, and now we plan take it another level toward Rio.

“We are thrilled to have him and Jayco on board again,” Tabotta added.

To build on the success of the last four years and drive toward Rio in 2016, Jayco’s sponsorship will be critical to the ongoing support of Australian athletes.

In addition, it will allow CA to continue to refine its high performance cycling system as well as introduce developments aimed at keeping Australia in the top echelon of cycling nations in the World.

One such development is Cycling Australia’s Jayco-AIS World Tour Academy.

The Jayco-AIS World Tour Academy is a reshaping of the successful Jayco-AIS Continental team, a program that has delivered multiple graduates and elite performers over the years into the UCI’s top level of road competition. Matthew Goss, Luke Durbridge, Rohan Dennis and Cameron Meyer are just four of the most recent graduates.

The changes will create more opportunities for talented U23 male endurance athletes at the international level and will be structured to better deliver education, development opportunities and direction toward assisting young Australians to be prepared for the professional peloton and the physical and lifestyle stresses that come with elite sport.

Further, the Academy will extend it’s reach into the pro peloton with establishment a formal Athlete Mentoring Program that will involve the identification of European based Australians who will aid in guiding young riders through their transition into the pro peloton and an independent life based in Europe.

Jayco Managing Director Gerry Ryan is confident the support from Jayco and the new initiatives from Cycling Australia will produce results.

"Jayco is proud to continue the ongoing sponsorship of Cycling Australia's development program,” said Mr Ryan.

“I've got confidence in the program and in developing the right culture and giving cyclists the best possible start for their career.

“Hopefully our investment in the sport will provide results between now and Rio,” he added.

Similarly, Cycling Australia CEO Graham Fredericks expressed his pleasure with the new agreement and the future for the sport.

“We would like to thank Gerry and Jayco for their tremendous support over the past four years in particular and we are delighted that we will be able to continue this partnership,” said Fredericks.

“The growth and development of cycling and our high performance athletes in recent times can be attributed to this longstanding relationship.

“We are all very excited about the new initiatives and programs that will be implemented in the near future and look forward to cycling continuing to flourish on the national and international level,” added Mr Fredericks.

This partnership also confirms the continuation of Jayco’s support of the Cycling Australia High Performance programs, including the Australian Track Team which captured five of the six medals for cycling in London.

Jayco funding will continue to provide essential resources to enhance the Adelaide based track program toward medal outcomes, something which is recognised by Australia’s queen of the track, Anna Meares.

“Jayco’s support has helped Australian track cyclists, especially sprinters, gain stability and security to assist them pursue the sport full time for Worlds and Olympic success,” said Meares, who claimed the 2012 London Olympics Games sprint gold medal in a memorable final.

Meares, a two time Olympic and ten-time world champion, has claimed eight of her ten world titles since Jayco began the support of the track program.

“Gerry’s backing the Jayco-AIS team on the track has enabled Australia to start additional riders in World Cup competitions, and Olympic Games qualifiers, maximising chances for fast tracking our talent into the Olympic arena in 2016,” Meares added.

Likewise, six-time Olympian Stuart O’Grady has seen the amazing benefits the relationship between Jayco and Cycling Australia has had one it’s athletes and the sport as a whole.

"When I started professional cycling there was very little support and it was mostly government-funded,” said O’Grady. “But since Gerry and Jayco have come on board and invested in development, state teams and local races, cycling has really progressed in Australia and he has had a massive influence in making this happen."

O’Grady joined Orica-GreenEDGE in 2012 after seventeen years in the professional peloton and eagerly awaits the next generation of Australian cycling stars to progress.

"I had always dreamed for an Australian team to be part of the world tour and Gerry and Jayco made that happen,” he explained. “Riding into Paris this year as part of an Australian team was one of my proudest moments.

“It has made a lot of dreams come true for Australian pro cyclists and his ongoing support will be making a lot more young cyclists dreams come true in the future."

"Gerry's passion for sport will continue to help Australian cycling improve in every aspect of the sport," he added.