Roger Vaugjhan/AAP
Chasing unfinished Olympic business, Australian cycling young gun Luke Plapp will use the next 12 months to further develop his huge talent.
Plapp, his partner Georgia Baker and 2014 series winner Brenton Jones are the first stars confirmed for the January 1-3 Citroen Bay Classic criterium series in Geelong.
After COVID-19 battered the last two domestic seasons, the Bay Classic will once again lead into the road nationals at Ballarat, followed by Adelaide’s Tour Down Under and Geelong’s Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.
Plapp, who turns 22 on Christmas Day, is the defending national road race champion and he will be a major player through the early season schedule.
But it is only one piece in a much bigger puzzle for Plapp, who hopes to be a medal contender on the road and track at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Maribyrnong resident and former Maribyrnong Sports Academy student will aim for the road time trial, his speciality, and also ride the road race.
But the accomplished track cyclist would also like to ride the madison, which would complement an Olympic road campaign, and perhaps the team pursuit as well.
Plapp was a member of the team pursuit squad that battled to bronze at last year’s Tokyo Games, a campaign cruelled by Alex Porter’s dramatic snapped handlebar in qualifying.
“I still think I have a lot to offer on the track and all of us (team pursuit) boys have unfinished business there,” Plapp said.
“Where that fits and how that fits, I’m not sure – the next 18 months on the road will tell me a whole lot more.”
Plapp is coming off his first full year riding for the powerful Ineos Grenadiers team in the World Tour.
He competed on the road and track at this year’s Commonwealth Games, taking bronze in the team pursuit, then made his Grand Tour debut at the Vuelta a Espana.
Plapp was in a world of pain at the three-week Vuelta, and a week after he struggled at the world road championships in Wollongong.
But the experience was priceless.
Plapp doubts he will ride another Grand Tour next year, instead focusing on development and working out his 2024 schedule.
