TOUR·KINETIC

Jayco AlUla · staff profile
Sports director
Mat Hayman

Paris-Roubaix winner turned road captain from the car, a natural guide for Jayco's classics-hard Tour roster.

Mat Hayman paper-collage staff portrait

Mat Hayman was a respected Australian domestique for years before producing one of the great late-career victories: Paris-Roubaix in 2016. That win, built on experience, patience, and tactical nerve, still defines how many fans understand him.

As a sports director, Hayman brings the authority of a rider who knows how to survive hard days and make the right move when everyone is exhausted. That matters for a Jayco Tour squad built around stage chances, sprint positioning, and riders who need tactical freedom without drifting into wasteful racing.

In 2026, Hayman's car voice is especially useful for debutants and role riders. A team with Luke Plapp, Kelland O'Brien, and multiple fast-finish options needs someone who can keep the plan simple when the Tour becomes noisy.

Why it mattersHayman's whole racing career was about turning endurance into timing; that is exactly a Tour DS skill.

Sources

The squad

Mat Hayman is part of the Jayco AlUla story at the 2026 Tour — see the full team page.

Portrait: AI paper-collage render (gpt-image-2) after a public reference image — source: Wikimedia Commons, author/source: Jérémy-Günther-Heinz Jähnick, license/status: CC BY-SA 3.0. A fan project — not affiliated with the Tour de France or A.S.O.