"I was fourth on GC here, Pogacar doesn’t count": Luke Plapp reborn as a one-week stage race GC contender at Romandie

The 2026 season seems to be a turning point in Luke Plapps career. Until now, the Australian was mainly recognized for his time trialing ability and stage hunter skills, however general classification battles seemed out of his scope - as the rider himself admitted on multiple occasions. But the 2026 Plapp has already finished 3rd at UAE Tour, and now 5th at Tour de Romandie - or 4th as he himself doesn't count Tadej Pogacar part of the "humans competition", jokingly.

Plapp broke down a final day where tactics were decisive, forcing the favourites to stay fully focused right to the line. He stressed that while the opening phase was relatively straightforward, tension ramped up as the final ascent to Leysin (13.2 kilometers at 5.9%) approached, triggering a head‑to‑head fight for the top spots in the general classification.

In his own words to CyclingProNet, "the race came down to pure tactics and in the end it turned into a big fight to see who could finish in the top six or seven." Despite the accumulated fatigue, he was buoyed by holding the pace of the best in the bunch, adding that "I’m really happy with the consistency I’ve had all week."

For Plapp, the result is a major boost to his build‑up, especially after already taking a podium at the UAE Tour early in the year, cementing himself as one of Team Jayco AlUla’s most reliable cards for one-week stage races.

Looking ahead, the Australian now targets the Tour de Hongrie - a 2.Pro race where a rider of Plapp's qualities will rank among the main favourites - followed by a race with a whole different level of competition: the Tour Auvergne Rhône-Alpes.

But for now, positive sensations about his top-five from Swiss race prevail as a podium in the "Pogacar-less" classification was not entirely out of Plapp's reach with Jorgen Nordhagen only 24 seconds ahead. "Basically I was fourth on GC here, Pogacar doesn’t count," a nod to the stratospheric level of the sport’s leading stars.