Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) has ended his Australian racing season early, with his team announcing that the rider who came sixth overall at the Tour Down Under would be sitting out the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race on Sunday as a result of a wrist injury.
Plapp was seen racing with a heavily taped left wrist earlier in the Australian summer season and told Cyclingnews in Adelaide on Sunday that he had re-aggravated an earlier injury in December when he crashed in training while descending Mount Buffalo.
He said at the time that it was sore since but he had been cleared to race. However, a new assessment of the injury has lead to a decision to pause his race plans and undergo surgery.
"After suffering with ongoing wrist discomfort from an injury sustained in 2024, Luke Plapp will not race the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race under advice from the team’s medical staff after being reassessed," said the team in a statement.
"Plapp will have surgery & rehabilitate his wrist to ensure he is ready for the long 2025 season with big goals ahead."
Plapp was also not on the start line of the Surf Coast Classic in Lorne. In 2024 he had used to test his recovery from a bad crash at stage 3 of the Tour Down Under, lining up with a heavily strapped left wrist. He then rode the 2024 Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race and finished 16th. After a break he travelled to Europe and finished sixth at Paris-Nice in early March.
Plapp's absence in 2025 will leave Jayco-AlUla without one of its key contenders in the race, though they have other options including Mauro Schmid and Kelland O'Brien.
After taking some time to recover after crashing in the time trial at the Olympic Games, an injury which required abdominal surgery, Plapp worked hard for the key target of the Australian summer, planning to have a break at some stage after the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. A race break that will now come earlier than expected.
Plapp, when talking to Cyclingnews in Bright in December, outlined that his key goals for the year following the Australian block included chasing a top-ten result in a GrandTour.
