Latest news with #Plapp
Perth Now
3 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
'Happy' Plappy shines at Tour as Pogacar reigns supreme
Australian champion Luke Plapp has delivered an exceptional mountain time trial at the Tour de France -- but it was still a mere sideshow to yet another sublime stage triumph for runaway leader Tadej Pogacar. The 24-year-old Plapp gave everything to finish fifth over the unforgiving 10.9km uphill slog against the clock from Loudenvielle to the Pyrenean ski resort Peyragudes on Friday. The Melburnian found himself leading for a couple of hours from all challengers after covering the brutal course in 24 minutes 58 seconds, until the Tour's biggest guns came down the ramp among the final 10 starters. And while Germany's Florian Lipowitz (24:56), five-time Grand Tour champ Primoz Roglic (24:20) and two-time Tour champion Jonas Vingegaard (23:36) all surpassed the Australian's time, it was Pogacar who once again showed them all he was in a different league as he clocked 23 minutes dead. It was his fourth stage victory of the Tour that he's turning into a one-man supershow as he put another 36 seconds into his advantage over Vingegaard, who's now four minutes and seven seconds behind with the toughest stages still to come. Plapp, the big engine of the Australian Jayco AlUla team, had won the national time trial championship at the start of the year and annexed his first Grand Tour stage win at the Giro d'Italia. This time, he had focused all his energies on this stage. "The last minute, though, was painful, but all in all I enjoyed the race, nevertheless," he said. "I've missed the break these last few stages, and that enabled me to take it easy in the grupetto. I'll definitely be feeling today's effort in my legs tomorrow … but anyway, I wanted to represent the colours (of the Australian flag) well and I'm happy." He predicted, as he sat in the provisional leader's chair watching the rest of the field trying to catch him, that the winner would be "a minute or minute-and-a-half quicker", but Pogacar was so brilliant he ended up almost two minutes faster. Yet Plapp earned one big scalp in particular, as he proved 41 seconds quicker than Olympic champ Remco Evenepoel, who was suffering on the climb and only just clung on to his third place in the GC, now a massive 7:24 behind Pogacar. Lipowitz is just six seconds off a podium place. Pogacar's latest amazing display came just a day after he had destroyed the field on the famed Hautacam climb, and he reckoned his 21st Tour stage win felt just as sweet. "I'm super happy. I wanted everything to be perfect. I almost blew up in the end but I saw the timer at the top and it gave me an extra push because I saw I'm gonna win," said the 26-year-old who is set to be crowned champ for a fourth time.
Daily Tribune
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Tribune
Luke Plapp in great escape as Italy's Ulissi take Giro lead
Australian Luke Plapp broke away on a 50km solo attack to win a hilly stage eight of the Giro d'Italia yesterday as veteran Italian all-rounder Diego Ulissi grabbed the overall lead. A series of attacks ensued early in the hilly stage, with the main contenders allowing the escape to make it far enough ahead of them for Plapp to climb the podium as winner and, to the delight of the crowds, drink a considerable amount of the fizzy wine he sprayed over them. The 24-year-old Jayco-Alula rider from Melbourne shook his head in disbelief at the finish after his first major win following an impressive solo effort in the picture-postcard hills. But just 38sec behind Plapp, third-placed Ulissi gazed at the clock in a nail-biting wait for overnight leader Primoz Roglic to cross the line. Ulissi had been 4min 01sec down at the start and the main contenders for the title were just a handful of seconds outside that limit, meaning he couldn't celebrate until he knew they had missed the time cut. 'I was going for the stage win, I hadn't thought about the race lead until the fans started to shout about the pink jersey along the road,' Ulissi said. Ulissi now leads Roglic by 17sec in the overall classification and will ride out in pink Sunday giving home crowds something to cheer.
The 42
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The 42
Luke Plapp in great escape as Italy's Ulissi takes Giro lead
AUSTRALIAN LUKE PLAPP broke away on a 50km solo attack to win a hilly stage eight of the Giro d'Italia on Saturday as veteran Italian all-rounder Diego Ulissi grabbed the overall lead. A series of attacks ensued early in the hilly stage, with the main contenders allowing the escape to make it far enough ahead of them for Plapp to climb the podium as winner and, to the delight of the crowds, drink a considerable amount of the fizzy wine he sprayed over them. The 24-year-old Jayco-Alula rider from Melbourne shook his head in disbelief at the finish after his first major win following an impressive solo effort in the picture-postcard hills. 'It's a dream come true,' said Plapp, who seemed a little lost for words. 'It was a savage fight to get in that breakaway.' You can view the classifications here> Advertisement But just 38sec behind Plapp, third-placed Ulissi gazed at the clock in a nail-biting wait for overnight leader Primoz Roglic to cross the line. Ulissi had been 4min 01sec down at the start and the main contenders for the title were just a handful of seconds outside that limit, meaning he couldn't celebrate until he knew they had missed the time cut. 'I was going for the stage win, I hadn't thought about the race lead until the fans started to shout about the pink jersey along the road,' Ulissi said. 'When I was a kid I used to watch the Giro with my grandparents and dreamed about this mythical jersey. So this is hugely satisfying,' the 35-year-old said. Ulissi now leads Roglic by 17sec in the overall classification and will ride out in pink Sunday giving home crowds something to cheer in his home region of Tuscany. It had been 86 stages since an Italian led the race — Alessandro De Marchi was the last to wear pink just over four years ago. There were four categorised climbs between the coastal town of Giulianova, along a rugged 197km route through the Abruzzo region, to the Castelraimondo finish — halfway up the Italian peninsula. When the contenders for the overall Giro win did come into the home straight, Friday's stage winner Juan Ayuso attacked and finished just 1sec ahead of Roglic but once again used up a great deal of energy to do so with 13 long stages remaining. 'There's still a very long way to go,' Roglic said at the line before handing over the pink jersey. Sunday's stage will run over the white gravel roads of the sparkling wine vineyards outside Siena. Sam Bennett and Darren Rafferty are the Irishmen in action. – © AFP 2025
NBC Sports
17-05-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Plapp solos to stage win, Ulissi becomes first Italian to lead Giro in four years
CASTELRAIMONDO, Italy — Luke Plapp soloed to victory in the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia for the biggest win of his career while Italian veteran Diego Ulissi moved into the overall lead on Saturday. 'Crazy, crazy,' Plapp said with a smile immediately after his first victory in a Grand Tour. Plapp attacked from a breakaway with about 45 kilometers (28 miles) remaining and had about a minute's advantage on the final climb. The Australian rider then used his time trialling skills to hold off his chasers. 'I knew I couldn't beat any of them in a sprint, so I knew I had to go at some stage pretty early,' Plapp said. 'I just thought I'd give it a crack and, to be honest, just wanted a bit of a head start on the descent as well. 'So, to stay away all the way to the finish is definitely not what I expected.' Plapp had plenty of time to celebrate, sitting up and lifting his arms out as he crossed the line 38 seconds ahead of Wilco Kelderman and Ulissi at the end of the tricky 97-kilometer (122-mile) route from Giulianova to Castelraimondo. 'I feel like it's been a long time coming,' Plapp said. 'Last year I got so close at the Giro so many times, and for today to happen is so, so special. 'We marked it as a stage (to win) for a few weeks now and then this morning on the bus we were really really excited. So to make it happen is a dream come true.' Ulissi faced an anxious wait to see whether he'd done enough to take the pink jersey from pre-race favorite Primoz Roglic and become the first Italian to lead the race since 2021. He let out a loud yell of joy when it was confirmed, after Roglic and most of the rest of the peleton finished nearly five minutes off the pace. Ulissi, who had never previously led the Giro, has a 12-second advantage over compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato and was 17 seconds ahead of Roglic. 'Just before putting it on (the leader's jersey), I was really thinking about the afternoons I spent with my grandparents when I was a kid and watching the Giro and dreaming,' Ulissi said. 'I had already realized the dream of winning stages, I came very close to wearing the pink jersey. Now, living this dream at the end of my career — because I'm not getting any younger — is everything, truly a great joy.' Even more special is that Ulissi will be in pink as his home race heads into his home region of Tuscany. 'I'm thinking of sleeping with the maglia rosa on tonight,' Ulissi said with a laugh. 'But the thought of going through my Tuscany with the maglia rosa is truly a great emotion.' Sunday's ninth stage includes a mini Strade Bianche on the white, gravel roads on the 181-kilometer route from Gubbio to Siena. The Giro ends in Rome on June 1.
The Advertiser
17-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Happy Plappy! Aussie star solos to glory at the Giro
Six-time Australian champion Luke Plapp has gone it alone to deliver a solo cycling masterpiece and blast to an outstanding maiden Grand Tour triumph on the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia. The 24-year-old from Melbourne made his decisive attack on the 197km mountainous route from Giulianova with 46 arduous kilometres still left to go to the finish in Castelraimondo on Saturday. Yet his power and huge engine, which had helped him get into the breakaway with 100km left, then enabled Plapp to leave his fellow breakaway riders in the dust on a steep ascent before negotiating two more formidable climbs alone and earn his first ever WorldTour win. "It's crazy, crazy!" said 'Plappy', the long admired young rider from Australian team Jayco AlUla, putting his hands to his head in almost disbelief as he crossed the line to win by 38 seconds following almost four-and-three-quarter hours in the saddle. He was the second Australian winner on this 108th Giro, two days after Kaden Groves sprinted to victory in Naples. Yet this was a victory of a different magnitude, a tour de force that Irish cycling great Sean Kelly suggested on Eurosport was "one for the books ... a big, big performance and a huge leap forward for Plapp." It also marked a wonderful comeback for the three-time winner of the Australian road race title and triple national time trial champion after his disrupted 2025 campaign when he was out for a month after surgery on his injured wrist. He had also crashed on just the second stage of the Giro in Albania when flying along on his time trial route. "For sure that makes it sweeter. From the Olympics last year (where he also crashed in a wet time trial) to surgery in February and now crashing at the first TT, it makes everything worth it," he said. "The lows in cycling are super, super low, and there's a long time between highs, so to have a result like this is amazing. "I've just never been able to make a result happen in Europe. Last year, I got so close at the Giro so many times, and for today to happen is so, so special. It's a dream come true." The hardest bit, Plapp reckoned, had been to battle his way into the original breakaway and when he looked at his remaining handful of opponents as he neared the end of the Montelago climb with 46km to go, he decided to go on the attack because "I knew I couldn't beat any of them in a sprint. "So I knew I had to go early - I just thought I'd give it a crack." Wilco Kelderman of Visma-Lease a Bike ended up second but the other big story of the day materialised as XDS-Astana's Italian hope Diego Ulissi came in third to take the overall leader's pink jersey from Primoz Roglic. It left the Italian screaming in delight at learning he was the first Italian to lead his great home race since 2021. He enjoys a 12-second advantage over compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato and 17 seconds over Roglic, who looked perfectly happy to hand over the responsibility of the jersey. Temporarily, at least. Six-time Australian champion Luke Plapp has gone it alone to deliver a solo cycling masterpiece and blast to an outstanding maiden Grand Tour triumph on the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia. The 24-year-old from Melbourne made his decisive attack on the 197km mountainous route from Giulianova with 46 arduous kilometres still left to go to the finish in Castelraimondo on Saturday. Yet his power and huge engine, which had helped him get into the breakaway with 100km left, then enabled Plapp to leave his fellow breakaway riders in the dust on a steep ascent before negotiating two more formidable climbs alone and earn his first ever WorldTour win. "It's crazy, crazy!" said 'Plappy', the long admired young rider from Australian team Jayco AlUla, putting his hands to his head in almost disbelief as he crossed the line to win by 38 seconds following almost four-and-three-quarter hours in the saddle. He was the second Australian winner on this 108th Giro, two days after Kaden Groves sprinted to victory in Naples. Yet this was a victory of a different magnitude, a tour de force that Irish cycling great Sean Kelly suggested on Eurosport was "one for the books ... a big, big performance and a huge leap forward for Plapp." It also marked a wonderful comeback for the three-time winner of the Australian road race title and triple national time trial champion after his disrupted 2025 campaign when he was out for a month after surgery on his injured wrist. He had also crashed on just the second stage of the Giro in Albania when flying along on his time trial route. "For sure that makes it sweeter. From the Olympics last year (where he also crashed in a wet time trial) to surgery in February and now crashing at the first TT, it makes everything worth it," he said. "The lows in cycling are super, super low, and there's a long time between highs, so to have a result like this is amazing. "I've just never been able to make a result happen in Europe. Last year, I got so close at the Giro so many times, and for today to happen is so, so special. It's a dream come true." The hardest bit, Plapp reckoned, had been to battle his way into the original breakaway and when he looked at his remaining handful of opponents as he neared the end of the Montelago climb with 46km to go, he decided to go on the attack because "I knew I couldn't beat any of them in a sprint. "So I knew I had to go early - I just thought I'd give it a crack." Wilco Kelderman of Visma-Lease a Bike ended up second but the other big story of the day materialised as XDS-Astana's Italian hope Diego Ulissi came in third to take the overall leader's pink jersey from Primoz Roglic. It left the Italian screaming in delight at learning he was the first Italian to lead his great home race since 2021. He enjoys a 12-second advantage over compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato and 17 seconds over Roglic, who looked perfectly happy to hand over the responsibility of the jersey. Temporarily, at least. Six-time Australian champion Luke Plapp has gone it alone to deliver a solo cycling masterpiece and blast to an outstanding maiden Grand Tour triumph on the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia. The 24-year-old from Melbourne made his decisive attack on the 197km mountainous route from Giulianova with 46 arduous kilometres still left to go to the finish in Castelraimondo on Saturday. Yet his power and huge engine, which had helped him get into the breakaway with 100km left, then enabled Plapp to leave his fellow breakaway riders in the dust on a steep ascent before negotiating two more formidable climbs alone and earn his first ever WorldTour win. "It's crazy, crazy!" said 'Plappy', the long admired young rider from Australian team Jayco AlUla, putting his hands to his head in almost disbelief as he crossed the line to win by 38 seconds following almost four-and-three-quarter hours in the saddle. He was the second Australian winner on this 108th Giro, two days after Kaden Groves sprinted to victory in Naples. Yet this was a victory of a different magnitude, a tour de force that Irish cycling great Sean Kelly suggested on Eurosport was "one for the books ... a big, big performance and a huge leap forward for Plapp." It also marked a wonderful comeback for the three-time winner of the Australian road race title and triple national time trial champion after his disrupted 2025 campaign when he was out for a month after surgery on his injured wrist. He had also crashed on just the second stage of the Giro in Albania when flying along on his time trial route. "For sure that makes it sweeter. From the Olympics last year (where he also crashed in a wet time trial) to surgery in February and now crashing at the first TT, it makes everything worth it," he said. "The lows in cycling are super, super low, and there's a long time between highs, so to have a result like this is amazing. "I've just never been able to make a result happen in Europe. Last year, I got so close at the Giro so many times, and for today to happen is so, so special. It's a dream come true." The hardest bit, Plapp reckoned, had been to battle his way into the original breakaway and when he looked at his remaining handful of opponents as he neared the end of the Montelago climb with 46km to go, he decided to go on the attack because "I knew I couldn't beat any of them in a sprint. "So I knew I had to go early - I just thought I'd give it a crack." Wilco Kelderman of Visma-Lease a Bike ended up second but the other big story of the day materialised as XDS-Astana's Italian hope Diego Ulissi came in third to take the overall leader's pink jersey from Primoz Roglic. It left the Italian screaming in delight at learning he was the first Italian to lead his great home race since 2021. He enjoys a 12-second advantage over compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato and 17 seconds over Roglic, who looked perfectly happy to hand over the responsibility of the jersey. Temporarily, at least. Six-time Australian champion Luke Plapp has gone it alone to deliver a solo cycling masterpiece and blast to an outstanding maiden Grand Tour triumph on the eighth stage of the Giro d'Italia. The 24-year-old from Melbourne made his decisive attack on the 197km mountainous route from Giulianova with 46 arduous kilometres still left to go to the finish in Castelraimondo on Saturday. Yet his power and huge engine, which had helped him get into the breakaway with 100km left, then enabled Plapp to leave his fellow breakaway riders in the dust on a steep ascent before negotiating two more formidable climbs alone and earn his first ever WorldTour win. "It's crazy, crazy!" said 'Plappy', the long admired young rider from Australian team Jayco AlUla, putting his hands to his head in almost disbelief as he crossed the line to win by 38 seconds following almost four-and-three-quarter hours in the saddle. He was the second Australian winner on this 108th Giro, two days after Kaden Groves sprinted to victory in Naples. Yet this was a victory of a different magnitude, a tour de force that Irish cycling great Sean Kelly suggested on Eurosport was "one for the books ... a big, big performance and a huge leap forward for Plapp." It also marked a wonderful comeback for the three-time winner of the Australian road race title and triple national time trial champion after his disrupted 2025 campaign when he was out for a month after surgery on his injured wrist. He had also crashed on just the second stage of the Giro in Albania when flying along on his time trial route. "For sure that makes it sweeter. From the Olympics last year (where he also crashed in a wet time trial) to surgery in February and now crashing at the first TT, it makes everything worth it," he said. "The lows in cycling are super, super low, and there's a long time between highs, so to have a result like this is amazing. "I've just never been able to make a result happen in Europe. Last year, I got so close at the Giro so many times, and for today to happen is so, so special. It's a dream come true." The hardest bit, Plapp reckoned, had been to battle his way into the original breakaway and when he looked at his remaining handful of opponents as he neared the end of the Montelago climb with 46km to go, he decided to go on the attack because "I knew I couldn't beat any of them in a sprint. "So I knew I had to go early - I just thought I'd give it a crack." Wilco Kelderman of Visma-Lease a Bike ended up second but the other big story of the day materialised as XDS-Astana's Italian hope Diego Ulissi came in third to take the overall leader's pink jersey from Primoz Roglic. It left the Italian screaming in delight at learning he was the first Italian to lead his great home race since 2021. He enjoys a 12-second advantage over compatriot Lorenzo Fortunato and 17 seconds over Roglic, who looked perfectly happy to hand over the responsibility of the jersey. Temporarily, at least.
