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.
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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.
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