Team Jayco AlUla sets out to surprise at upcoming Giro d'Italia: "We want to put together an ambitious team and focus on stages"

Without a top start at the start of Giro d'Italia, Team Jayco AlUla will aim to surprise in the mountains. One of their wild cards should be the Australian time trial champion Lucas Plapp who already came close to winning a stage in Italy last year.

"Everything is going well with Luke," sports director Matt White begins in a conversation with Daniel Benson. Plapp had to undergo surgery in February due to a wrist fracture from 2024. "Of course, he's a little behind schedule because of that fracture. He had a very quiet month of February and took almost a month off, but since then, he's been working his way back up."

Now, the 24-year-old rider is at the start of the Tour de Romandie, the first real test. "We'll see how he recovers during Romandie in the run-up to the Giro. After Romandie, we will better understand how he performs in a stage race. We already saw positive signs in Greece, but hopefully, we will see more consistency in Romandie. After that, we can finalize our plan for the Giro."  

The sports director already knows that there are several stages which should suit the Australian. "The second time trial suits him very well. The first is a short, explosive time trial in a city in Albania, but there are also several other stages he can focus on. In about ten days, we'll know whether he's going for stage wins or the GC."

In particular, the gravel stage at the end of first week may be a good opportunity for the strong all-rounder: "There is again a gravel stage this year, which is much tougher and more challenging than last year. But there are many opportunities for Luke in the Giro. He is very versatile."

Jayco AlUla will not be taking any sprinters to Italy with lineup that should shine in stages with plenty altitude meters. "We are focusing on Chris Harper for the GC. We will decide what to do with Plapp in the next ten days. We want to put together an ambitious team and focus on stages, especially in the second half of the race."

The battle for GC could play out in any direction this year, with Harper perhaps sneaking into the top-ten. "He is progressing well, and he is a real diesel engine. He really comes into his own in the second half of the race. You can lose a few seconds in the first stages, but that's nothing in the Giro compared to the third week when you can win or lose minutes. He can definitely make the top ten."