"I'm blown away by how it all unfolded" - Luke Plapp proves worth as GC leader to take Maillot Jaune at Paris-Nice on stage 4

Attacking relatively late on stage 4 at Paris-Nice, Team Jayco AlUla's Australia National Champion, Luke Plapp narrowly missed out on the stage win but was rewarded with the overall lead of the race.

"Matthew Hayman was in the team car and he was really onto me. He said at the start of the climb 'You've got 23 seconds on Buitrago.' So as soon as I heard that, I knew I just had to get to the top at my own pace rather than racing him," reviews Plapp in a post-stage interview with ITV Sport, having attacked from the group of GC favourites on the penultimate climb alongside Santiago Buitrago.

"I was at the back a bit today during the stage, but the boys looked after me at got me to the front when it mattered and yeah, I'm blown away by how it all unfolded to be honest," Plapp continues. "I'm still a bit banged up from the Tour Down Under, my wrist isn't great so I've not been taking risks when I don't have to. If there'd been crosswinds, I'd have been closer to the front but by Paris-Nice standards the wind hasn't been too bad at all."

At the halfway point of Paris-Nice 2024, Plapp now sits atop the GC, 17 seconds clear of Buitrago with notable names such as Joao Almeida, Remco Evenepoel, Egan Bernal and Primoz Roglic at 29, 30, 40 and 1:10 respectively.