"Not everyone has that luxury of doing a specific prep for TT like me" - Luke Plapp plans to upset the world in Kigali
Cycling
Luke Plapp became the wild card of Tour stage 13 timetrial. On his way to Peyragudes, the Australian outpaced some of the world's best climbers and clocked in 5th best time of the day. Next stop? The World Championships in Kigali! In fact, Plapp hopes to upset all favourites and score big in the exotic cycling lands.
"Most TTs these days are quite demanding and challenging in lots of ways, but in this particular Worlds' the attitude's probably the biggest of them," Plapp told Cyclingnews. "I've never done a TT that high, I don't think anyone has, so that throws a cat amongst the pigeons as well."
Federations have been planning to round trip to Rwanda since last winter, with acclimatization as a key factor in the run-up to a race in completely new environment.
"I think you've got to really specifically prep for it, given that it is at altitude. That specific TT prep is something that I really enjoy doing, so I'm also looking forward to it. And I guess not everyone has that luxury of doing a specific prep for the TT like that either."
For that reason, Plapp will travel to altitude before leaving for Kigali. For the first time in a while. "I didn't do it for the Olympics or I haven't done it for other key targets. But I'm doing altitude at Font Romeu, which is at 1800 metres above sea level, so it's very, very similar to the height where the Worlds are and it's purely based off that."
Luke Plapp can already tick off one box this year after Giro stage win
"The one thing that makes it hard is when you get to Rwanda, you're sleeping straightaway at altitude. So without it, just staying at a hotel a week before the race, you'd struggle as soon as you arrive."
"Plus, I haven't done attitude this year actually, either before the Giro or the Tour, so it's sort of good to always get an attitude block in the body each season. If I had done one already, I'd probably say no to this one. But hopefully the combination of Giro, Tour, Clásica San Sebastian and then altitude is the perfect recipe."
"Hopefully it all works well, and I get to Africa and I'll be feeling really good and will be in good contention to have a really strong result there," Plapp said. The Australian loves to have similar objectives to aim for: "It's an event that I always want to target and have as a major goal, whether it's the Worlds or the Olympics."
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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