"I was happy to see him win three in a row" - Chris Harper doesn't mind gifting the National title to his teammate Luke Plapp
Cycling
When two-time winner Luke Plapp and Jayco-AIUIa teammate Chris Harper took off out to a tandem ride at Australia’s Road National Championships with more than 100km to go, the only question that was left was which of the two will claim the title?
"Plappy was obviously going for three in a row, which is pretty special so I was quite happy to see him win. But to be honest, he was probably riding stronger anyway," said Harper. "The last couple of laps I was hurting a bit up the climb and he was still riding strong so he probably deserves it."
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"The important thing today was to bring the jersey back to the team and so as long as one of us was in the jersey that’s all that matters," Harper said, after the team not only took the title but delivered a clean sweep of the podium thanks to Kelland O'Brien also securing third.
Still, with the form Harper is showing – walking away with both second in the time trial and second in the road race this year – even though his first win since 2019 didn’t come on Sunday, it could well be just around the corner.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
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🏁 FINISH 🏁 Luke Plapp & Chris Harper have dominated the Elite Men’s National Road Race!! RESULT: 1️⃣st Luke Plapp 2️⃣nd Chris Harper 3️⃣rd Kel O’Brien #RoadNats24 🇦🇺 💬 comments to follow…
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