"I see the Giro, Olympics, and World Champs as three peaks that you can build toward" - Luke Plapp on 2024 goals
Cycling
Luke Plapp has made the move from INEOS Grenadiers to Team Jayco AlUla and is motivated from it. Not only is motivation high, but the Australian national champion is also very ambitious and is looking towards a certain set of goals in the upcoming 2024 season.
"I've learned so much from the guys. I don't think I'd be where I am now if it wasn't for them. So, I still think Ineos was the best place for me to start, and I wouldn't change that for the world," Plapp said in an interview with Cyclingnews. "It was just the right time now to make that switch to Jayco. It feels right. It feels really comfortable. I'm not scared as such or unsure of what the future holds. I think I really know what I'm stepping into, and it's something I'll be comfortable in and be able to flourish."
Plapp feels comfort regarding his move and will have freedom to chase a result at the Giro d'Italia likely. He finished second at the UAE Tour this year and has revealed tremendous climbing ability, but found himself as a domestique throughout most of the season as he struggled to find form. He hopes that changes now, and tells that "I see the Giro, Olympics, and World Champs as three peaks that you can build toward with a nice break in between them all, so that's how I sort of see the program."
Plapp starts his season at the national championships where he'll seek more titles, and will be present at the Tour Down Under as one of the team's leaders. "I'm excited. I'm really, really excited to get stuck into it with the team, and that's why I really want to make a good first impression and be going well and really hit the ground running. I'm super thankful for everything they've done to allow me that four-year contract. I just really hope to be able to repay them, whether it's this next year or in the years to come."
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
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- lol yeahmij08-11-2026
- I know, their headlines can be so misleading. Pidcock had a great season with 5 wins. and some solid 2nds. no reason to take away from that with a fake headline.mij08-11-2026
- You can clearly see the the posture change from slightly sitting to again out of the saddle while changing of gears in the video of the sprintabstractengineer08-11-2026
- He has already beaten Pogi twice in the TDF. the achievement is over. He cannot beat Pogi now and he only has a few years left at the top. Win Giro and compete in the TDF, maximise palmares.abstractengineer08-11-2026
- Just looked again at the photo. Yeah I stand by that. If MS had fallen over in Brands direction I don’t even think she would have hit her. You must be a UCI race commissioner. I’ll be sure to check my sock height should I ever see you on a ride. Looks like everyone else on here sees what I see.mij08-11-2026
- I said looking at the photo it doesn’t appear she deviated. Chill out, not stating my word is the final judgement. Just commenting that based on the photo I don’t see it. And BTW the Dutch coach even said she didn’t impede her.mij08-11-2026
- Blah Blah Blah !frieders308-11-2026
- MS said she was changing gears so that caused her slight deviation. Nothing was intentional.frieders308-11-2026
- How can you use a photo post incident to judge the incident itself (which is not hard to find if you’re prepared to invest the same amount of time in searching as writing that comment? It’s harsh but technically right even though this or worse is not always sanctioned in every race. The two things that went against MS (who unfortunately for her would still have won without making her mistake) are that it was not a bunch sprint where there could have been an overlooked incident or mitigating circumstances explaining a deviation. Everything was focused on just those 2, Schreiber was riding beautifully balanced which made her sudden deviation look unnatural stroke as if it could have been in some part intentional whilst she was slowly drifting ever closer towards the barrier to a point that would have reached obstruction level. In her defence, it might have been the realisation she was heading towards that that made her react suddenly and caused the deviation involuntarily. In any case, congratulations to her for the ride of her life, in people’s minds she will be credited for it.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Good boy Obviously doesn’t need that much help dealing with pressure, as some have suggested. Wiser (and humbler) than many far further along their careers. About offering him the moon, recently someone came up with an explanation of the downfall of a football great (either referring to Maradona or Portuguese Ronaldo) saying it was kind of normal after coming back from the moon, except that others, including some who actually did go to the moon like Armstrong (Neil in case anyone is too switched off to realise) didn’t go through any of the same motions after coming back. A lot of how you deal with situations has less to do with the situation than with your character.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
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First team announced for #TourDownUnder, and what a team this is! 🤩 🇦🇺 Luke Plapp 🇬🇧 Simon Yates 🇦🇺 Caleb Ewan 🇦🇺 Chris Harper 🇦🇺 Michael Hepburn 🇦🇺 Kelland O'Brien 🇦🇺 Campbell Stewart @GreenEDGEteam really means business in their home race @tourdownunder! 🔥
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