Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) has ended the Australian racing season early, along with his crew saying that the rider who got here sixth total on the Tour Down Underneath can be sitting out the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday because of a wrist damage.
Plapp might be seen racing with a closely taped up left wrist earlier within the Australian summer time season and the rider instructed Cyclingnews in Adelaide on Sunday that he had re-aggravated an earlier injury in December when he crashed in training whereas descending Mount Buffalo. He stated on the time that it had been sore since however he had been cleared. Nonetheless, now one other evaluation of the damage has result in a call to pause his race plans.
“After struggling with ongoing wrist discomfort from an damage sustained in 2024, Luke Plapp won’t race the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race underneath recommendation from the crew’s medical workers after being reassessed,” stated the crew in an announcement.
The rider was additionally not on the beginning line of the Surf Coast Traditional in Lorne. It was a race he in 2024 had used to test his recovery from a foul crash at stage 3 of the Tour Down Underneath that yr – lining up with a closely strapped left wrist and loads of bandages – earlier than taking up the 2024 Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race the place he got here sixteenth.
Plapp’s absence in 2025 will go away the crew with out considered one of its key contenders within the race, although it does produce other choices together with the likes of Mauro Schmid and Kelland O’Brien.
After taking a while to get well after crashing within the time trial on the Olympic Video games, an damage which required belly surgical procedure, Plapp did not actually have an off season however saved working up towards the important thing goal of the Australian summer time, planning to have a break at some stage after the Cadel Evans Nice Ocean Highway Race. A race break that may now come sooner than anticipated.
Plapp, when speaking to Cyclingnews in Shiny in December, outlined that his key targets for the yr following the Australian block included chasing a top-ten result in a GrandTour.
