"It was a massive improvement for myself" - Luke Plapp impresses in team leader role with 6th overall at Paris-Nice

Having previously said one of his main reasons for leaving the INEOS Grenadiers was a lack of leadership opportunities, Luke Plapp got his chance for Team Jayco AlUla at Paris-Nice and he impressed.

Wearing the Maillot Jaune during the race, before eventually finishing 6th overall, Plapp was constantly there or thereabouts with the big names. “It was a super hard day. For myself, shattered to lose top five, but I’m really happy with the week," he reflected after the race's conclusion. "I think I learned a lot. It was a massive improvement for myself and I’m looking forward to what the rest of the year brings now."

Going into the final stage, Plapp was actually fifth but dropped down a place after a raid by Aleksandr Vlasov. “That was a brutal stage with the weather. It finally came sunny at the end, which is nice. I think that stage lived up to all the hype I’d heard about for so many years now. It was definitely entertaining to race and it would have been even better to watch," Plapp analyses. “The stage started hard, got harder, went full-gas, and then just went ridiculous. It never let up. That was one of the fastest and hardest days I’ve ever done. There was no recovery because the descents were the fastest and hardest parts of the day, actually. So it just got harder and harder."

A lot of positive for Plapp to take on board going forward though as he looks for a breakout season in his first year at Team Jayco AlUla. “I’m looking forward to Milano-Sanremo next week, it will the longest race I’ve ever done," he concludes. "I’m really looking forward to the first monument, basically, and then we will build towards the Giro d'Italia.”