Luke Plapp wins Santos Festival of Cycling stage 2

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Luke Plapp (Team Garmin Australia) won stage 2 of the men’s National Road Series (NRS) race at the Santos Festival of Cycling, taking off on the final climb and then pushing the pace on the descent to quickly pull out a gap on the chasing group.

The 20-year-old Australian was leading an ever diminishing group of riders up the Fox Creek climb, which peaked less than 10 kilometres from the finish line, when he attacked from the front.

“That was pretty unreal. I had my eyes set on that,” said Plapp straight after the stage. "I didn’t have to do a turn all day. The boys looked after me. I was just glad to be able to finish it off.” 

Although his rivals saw the move coming there was little they could do to respond.

“Luke Plapp did an amazing effort with about 200 metres to go of that climb. we were there but couldn’t do anything about it,” said the overall race leader Luke Durbridge (Team BikeExchange). 

“I think he knows that climb and knows that descent, so it was an impressive ride, chapeau to him. But yeah, we kept the jersey and we’re fine, so another day." 

It was a performance that moved Plapp into second place on the overall behind Durbridge, who carries a 2:10 lead into stage 3, which includes Willunga Hill.

How it unfolded

As the flag dropped on the 116 kilometre stage 2 from Birdwood to Lobethal there was the usual battle to establish a break, with Joshua Wilson (Velofit Racing) getting the first gap that stuck and Jumbo-Visma rider Chris Harper, racing for Cervelo-Tonsley Village at the event, coming out to join him. Then 2020 NRS winner Brendon Johnston and Cyrus Monk (CycleHouse Racing) also bridged the gap.

The quartet worked together over the lumpy terrain, but the peloton behind were keen to keep the gap under control, playing cat and mouse for a while, with Team BikeExchange and Team Garmin Australia working out the front. The group was pulled back in, with Richie Porte (Team Garmin Australia) doing a considerable amount to close down the gap for his teammates, before the final climb of the day.

The Fox Creek climb, peaking less than 10 kilometres from the finish line, was a clear launching point so the pressure was on and the field quickly split as riders worked their way up the hill, which had an average gradient of 8.8 per cent.

Race leader Durbridge was never far from the front, making sure he held onto that solid gap on the overall which was 2:28 at the start of the stage. However there was no stopping track rider Plapp going off the front and charging toward the line.

Tim Roe (Cervelo-Tonsley Village) also pulled away from the chasing group, which he just held to the line. Not realising Plapp had escaped, he threw his hands up in the air in celebration but then realised that he would be settling for second.  Kaden Groves (Team BikeExchange) won the sprint for third. 

Now the race heads to Willunga Hill on stage 3, with Durbridge still holding a commanding lead. Teammate Damien Howson, however, wasn’t as fortunate with a crash on the final descent taking off skin and sending him from third in the overall to 24th place.