Luke Plapp dreams of yellow jersey at Tour de Romandie: "The Tour will come down to the 15km stage four TT"
Cycling
After a stint in the yellow jersey and sixth place at Paris-Nice, Luke Plapp returned to good form after abandoning the Tour Down Under as a big favourite. Now ahead of his big goal of the season, the Giro d'Italia, the Team Jayco AlUla rider also looks to perform at the Tour de Romandie.
“I’m really looking forward to Romandie and to be able to race with both Simon [Yates] and Eddie [Dunbar]," Plapp said in a press release issued by the team. "All of us could be capable of a strong GC result so I think we can play off each other quite nicely. I’ve been in altitude since Sanremo building towards both Romandie and the Giro so I’m looking forward to seeing how my shape is heading into the Giro!"
The focus is clear. As a strong time-trialist and good climber, Plapp wants to develop into a Grand Tour contender. The Giro will feature a modest list of GC contenders which provides him with a better opportunity, and his training this season has been focused on this evolution as a rider - with INEOS Grenadiers, he only managed to race one Grand Tour. Plapp is using Romandie as a final stepping stone ahead of the Corsa Rosa.
"Romandie has always been a favourite race of mine. I had a great race in my first year pro here and the region of Aigle where we race is one of my favourite places to ride a bike in the world," he continues. "With Two TT’s and the chance to wear the Aussie TT colours for the first time this year is also going to be great!"
Plapp is a contender to take the lead on the prologue in the opening day of the race, but also for the mid-week time-trial which offers up another opportunity for him to make the difference. The race will also feature two proper mountain stages with summit finishes, where he will be joined by Simon Yates and Eddie Dunbar who can each chase their own results as well.
"I think with the team we have on paper we are hoping to be right up there in the GC ranks and have a few cards to play! I believe the Tour will come down to the 15km stage four TT, so that will definitely be a focus for myself," he confirms. "With Simon as a leader and myself and Eddie there to play a big roll of support and having some opportunities as well.”
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A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
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- yeah... you're right...PogiSloFans04-11-2026
- Podcast sounds great. Two so called experts stating the f*cking obvious.wrsty04-11-2026
- A mindset that reminds me of Tim Declerq. I loved watching that guy just pound away the kilometers, hours at the front, holding an entire breakaway in check on his own. Bjerg seems like a similar guy. Curling, the team sport.RidesHills04-11-2026
- He will be lol, but he can still win on the climbs hahaawp04-11-2026
- I would love to have his inconsistency. How many wins this year? 2 TdF stages, a WC, a Euro championship, San Sebastian, multiple wins early year. Monument podiums. I'd take it. I don't think he has a chance in the TdF, but he is still amazing.mij04-11-2026
- He's not going to win the TdF. Maybe if they make every single stage a TT he could win. But I still believe Tadej would just sharpen his TT skills and win.mij04-11-2026
- You beat me to it. Should he make a full recovery (likely) and go light early in the year. One, two, three. Don't ask me, I don't give a damn. Should he be on a Feel-Like-He's-Fixin'-to-Die High.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- The deciding factor may be the (TBD) number of (any type of) kilometers without Pogacar.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- Unexplained chronic fatigue is an all too common bitch. The hard to find definitive answer may lie buried in gut mechanisms. A mystery of the deep.Yepperoni04-11-2026
- It's weird to say Evenepoel would be making a "serious mistake by adding the 2027 Giro d'Italia to his calendar, warning that such a decision could even be interpreted as a lack of confidence in his ability to win the Tour de France." It may well be a mistake but with so many commentators (of all sorts) continuously claiming almost everything Remco does as being a mistake, almost nobody should care what the pundits and the disparagers should say. His team may not want him to do the Giro, and that matters. But it's possibly or probably up to Remco to decide and it may not have to be decided on until a month or so ahead of the race. Yes , Remco is inconsistent much like the majority of the best riders but he's enjoying a period of not having been recently injured (or sick). Whatever he does he need not be concerned with critics who will second guess any perceived failure no matter what. I suspect he will have enough other races on his schedule so he won't be considering it. But the worst reason to not race it is because of what some will say - humorous that be.Yepperoni04-11-2026
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🇨🇭 #TDR2024 📅 23/04 - 28/04 It's time to go stage racing again! 🏁 Here’s our team lining up in Switzerland for the @TourDeRomandie ⤵️
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