Luke Plapp (Jayco-AlUla) has been seen racing with a closely taped up left wrist in the course of the Tour Down Under, telling Cyclingnews that he crashed in December and it has been sore ever since.
“It was simply earlier than New Year’s, I used to be simply performing some efforts and descending my favorite mountain, Mount Buffalo, and simply got here off. But I have not missed a day of coaching and I feel I have not missed a beat in racing, to be trustworthy, both,” Plapp stated.
Although there was chatter on-line suggesting the wrist was damaged, Plapp stated he simply “re-aggravated” the identical wrist that he injured in a crash throughout final yr’s Tour Down Under on stage 3.
“It’s simply ligaments and sore. There’s no harm to it and the medical doctors have cleared me and all the things so it is simply extra precaution than something. I discovered final yr after I raced for just a few months by way of Paris-Nice and the Giro [d’Italia], it simply helped having it taped, so I’m simply doing that once more.
“I had issues with this wrist as properly final yr from the Tour Down Under crash so it is troubled me for a yr or so – then [the injury] is the very same spot because it was final yr.”
Despite his wrist damage, Plapp was aggressive whereas racing for the stage win on Willunga Hill on Saturday, attacking quite a few occasions on the ultimate ascent earlier than ending fourth on the stage behind winner Jhonatan Narvaez (UAE Team Emirates-XRG). That outcome moved him as much as sixth total.
“You may see after I was attacking, I used to be pleased to be out of the saddle … so it is effective.
“I’m actually pleased with how [Australian road] nationals went with a sore wrist, and I’m fairly pleased with how the legs are this race. So it clearly hasn’t affected me an excessive amount of,” the Australian time trial title winner and street race runner-up stated. “Yesterday, I used to be proper up there within the combine combating for the stage. So actually pleased with how all the things goes.”
While some pundits have criticised him for sitting behind the peloton, which could be dangerous within the occasion of a crash, Plapp was tail-gunning the ultimate stage of the Tour Down Under, too.
“I feel each race I’m in the direction of the again. I do not suppose this race is any totally different to what I used to be doing all yr final yr. I’m simply pleased cruising again there. I do not suppose it has price me this race in any respect,” he concluded.
