Despite being only in his second year as a professional cyclist, Ineos Grenadiers rider Luke Plapp has already had a taste of what it's like to wear a race leader's jersey, even if it was for just one day.
“UAE was a really, really nice place to have my first proper race, you could say,” he told Cyclingnews. He further added, “It just seemed to fit well, coming from Australia and coming from Road Nats, and it was, I guess, probably the most relaxed WorldTour race you could ever start with.”
Having competed in the UAE Tour once before, he was motivated to surpass his previous season's performance. “I learnt so much about myself last year and just how the WorldTour peloton works.”
This season, he has set some lofty goals for himself. "I’m still trying to work out how to win.I just want to find out exactly what type of rider I am, then I can learn to win races. I think this year is still more about finding myself again and working out what suits me, and in the year after, I can go to races with a clear target to win,” concluded the Australian rider.