Bad news for Luke Plapp: surgery set to sideline Australian rider
Cycling
Team Jayco AlUla’s Luke Plapp, a three-time national road race and national time trial champion, has been forced to alter his early-season plans due to an ongoing wrist issue. The 24-year-old Australian rider will undergo surgery to address the lingering injury he sustained in 2024, ruling him out of the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
Plapp had been competing despite discomfort, racing through the Australian summer season with his left wrist heavily taped. However, while speaking to Cyclingnews in Adelaide, he revealed that he had aggravated the injury in December following a training crash on Mount Buffalo. Despite initial clearance to race, a recent medical reassessment has resulted in the decision to halt his race schedule and proceed with surgery.
"After suffering with ongoing wrist discomfort from an injury sustained in 2024, Luke Plapp will not race the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race under advice from the team’s medical staff after being reassessed," Team Jayco – AlUla confirmed in an official statement.
The team also outlined the recovery process, adding: "Plapp will have surgery & rehabilitate his wrist to ensure he is ready for the long 2025 season with big goals ahead."
Prior to the injury setback, Plapp had outlined ambitious goals for the 2025 season, including a strong performance in a Grand Tour. Speaking in December, he stated that a top-ten finish in one of cycling’s three biggest stage races was a key objective.
Read also
His previous Grand Tour appearance at the 2024 Giro d’Italia saw him finish 52nd overall, while he also secured a 6th-place finish at Paris-Nice. The Australian has long been regarded as one of the sport’s brightest prospects, and his team will be eager for him to return to full strength in time for the bigger targets ahead.
Plapp’s road success builds on an impressive track cycling background. In 2018, he became a world junior champion, further establishing himself as a versatile rider capable of excelling across multiple disciplines.
Just in
Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter today!
Popular news
Latest comments
- The sport does more than any other I can think of to level the playing field. After that, it plays out on the road. If you don't like it, don't watch.
Barney03-03-2025 - i think his numbers are off, likely by a significant margin. i believe it’s generally accepted that lance armstrong averaged about 6.5w/kg after his comeback from cancer. his best time up Alpe d’Huez is 37:36, one second slower than the all-time record still held today by marco pantani. during that roughly 40min effort on the Alpe, armstrong averaged 495w. these are just the numbers. everyone can decide for themselves what they mean to the argument being made by the rider from Ag2r.OCexile03-03-2025
- i think his numbers are off, likely by a significant margin. i believe it’s generally accepted that lance armstrong averaged about 6.5w/kg after his comeback from cancer. his best time up Alpe d’Huez is 37:56, one second slower than the all-time record still held today by marco pantani. during that 40min effort on the Alpe, armstrong averaged 495w. these are just the numbers. everyone can decide for themselves what they mean to the argument being made by the rider from Ag2r.OCexile03-03-2025
- I predict this post and thread getting deleted. In the past when comments turn towards evidence free accusations of doping then the comments end up being mass deleted.mobk03-03-2025
- Just when you think the UCI can't get any more pedantic.....slappers6603-03-2025
- you’re right see my comment below. her team could have taken control. Demi’s team doesn’t need to ask for permission lolmij03-03-2025
- what does SD Worx insistence on being lame have to do with Demi’s tram choosing not to race? or anyone else for that matter. she is a whiner. they could have had a go of it why does she need to ask them?mij03-03-2025
- Pogacar won the first Tour on a bike with cables out, needless to say that things have developed a bitvappaxbipmv03-03-2025
- Why are they showing his photo in a TT helmet here, you can't even see his face? They're not showing Max in a helmet or Leon with a swimming cap. What's more, were 2 tennis players going to be nominated (before they removed Sinner) or is Alcaraz a replacement, which automatically means he's 2nd best in his sport and therefore shouldn't win the award?vappaxbipmv03-03-2025
- What a BS. Politt spreads the same BS too saying Armstrong raced a 9kg bike. It’s necessary to investigate the last 2 seasons. Before that the climbing times were at least little bit believeable. Now Pogacar destroys each and every climbing record from the murkiest era by multiple minutes riding effortlessly. Day in day out, entire season. Arrogantly saying it’s because of nutrition, changing coach, shorter cranks, better bikes and some more BS. As if all of this didn’t exist 3 years ago. Behind the scenes Mauro Gianetti, unrepentant doper who nearly killed himself while doping, is rofling and leading Pogacars team to even more success.
UltimateOpportunist03-03-2025