“It’s all in for Bling” - Luke Plapp on Jayco Alula’s strategy for Milano-Sanremo with Michael Matthews set to lead the team

After a strong performance by Luke Plapp at Paris-Nice last week, the Australian National Champion is set to race at Milano-Sanremo this weekend, in what will be his first appearance at a Monument in his career. Plapp will be riding in service of his Jayco AlUla teammate Michael Matthews, who finished in third place at this race in both the 2015 and 2020 editions.

In an interview with GCN, Plapp commented on the team’s strategy for Saturday’s race, as he said that “it’s all in for Bling, with how the race will go. The start list is so strong, with so many potential winners and our best chance of winning is with him. He seems to have recovered after going home from Paris-Nice and is looking really good. In terms of winning the race, that’s our best bet. It’s exciting, being my first Monument, and I’ve certainly felt the hype around the race”.

On his personal role in the finale, Plapp went on to say that “for me, it’s about making sure I get over the Cipressa and that we have as many teammates with Michael as possible. I can hopefully try and close any gaps that form on the climb, and then launch him into the Poggio and ride a pace that he wants us to ride for as long as possible. Then when the big boys attack over the top, hopefully, he can follow. I think we all know that if he can get to the finish line then he has a massive chance but it’s about what happens on the Poggio”.