A^1-connected components of ruled surfaces

A conjecture of Morel asserts that the sheaf of $\mathbb A^1$-connected components of a space is $\mathbb A^1$-invariant. Using purely algebro-geometric methods, we determine the sheaf of $\mathbb A^1$-connected components of a smooth projective surface, which is birationally ruled over a curve of genus $>0$. As a consequence, we show that Morel's conjecture holds for all smooth projective surfaces over an algebraically closed field of characteristic $0$.