Lucas Plapp topped off an already successful week at the 2024 Federation University RoadNats Ballarat with a second national title.
Plapp, who claimed the time trial title early last week, won a third straight national road race title on Sunday.
Plapp and teammate Chris Harper won in a way never seen before in more than 21 editions of the race in Ballarat, a teammate one-two finish, with Harper crossing the line together with Plapp for the silver medal, 103-kilometres after the two went it alone at the front of the race.
As the two cruised down the final straight celebrating in tandem, it was Harper who drifted behind Plapp, allowing the two-time defending champion to become the fourth Australian to win a trifecta of elite road race national championships.
“It’s all pretty surreal, it’s just an amazing way to start with this team and it’s been great fun this week,” Plapp told the Cycling Australia website.. “Harps is amazing. He told me very early on that it’s mine and I can’t thank him enough. He’s such a class act and such a gentleman.
“That was amazing out there from the gun. We had everything under control and me and Harps had a great time out there – can’t thank him enough.
“We just wanted to be in control the whole time and I think you saw we had everyone on the ropes from how well the team worked early.
“We went through and watched all the previous years and mistakes we made, our ways that we did it really well, and we just knew we always had to have numbers up the road.
“(We) had to make the individuals chase and me and Harps were just lucky that it was us two that had the legs to then counter off all the amazing work the team did for us. They set us up beautifully and I don’t think it was ever in the plan to go that early but me and Chris had some amazing legs, and we just made the most of it.”
Within two laps, a breakaway of 14 riders formed.
Plapp would bridge the gap from the peloton to the breakaway quickly, dragging Chris Hamilton (Team dsm–firmenich PostNL) with him.
At the halfway point, Harper and Plapp began their offensives.
First, it was Harper at the 122 kilometres to go point on the descent of Mt Buninyong with Welsford for company. Twenty kilometres later on the Midland Highway, Plapp came roaring past leapfrogging his teammate and Welsford.
Harper would regain contact with Plapp before they turned the corner for Mt Buninyong in what would turn out to be the race-winning move. The duo’s advantage increased lap after lap, blowing out to seven minutes at its largest to the main chasing group.
Plapp and Harper would ride away for victory, having already gone one-two in the time trial.
