This long interview with Luke Plapp includes a few very interesting nuggets of information. It is presented (almost) unedited so that you can settle into the conversation and hear how a young rider is preparing for the Olympics… and the next phase of what promises to be an exciting pro career.

– Watch the interview with Luke Plapp, click the link below. –

 

It’s worth paraphrasing some of the salient points of RIDE Media’s interview with Luke Plapp largely because he shines a light on how a young athlete approaches the early phase of a pro career in the midst of a pandemic.

He’s strong, gifted, well supported and has a fresh attitude to riding his bike and racing. And, at the age of 20, all that adds up to an exciting few years ahead for a cyclist who – like so many others – got his start in the sport thanks to the Brunswick Cycling Club.

Watch the full interview and learn a lot more about Luke (which he prefers to be called, rather than Lucas). Here is a quick overview of what we talked about:

  • Yes, he expects to race the Olympics in Tokyo… in 2021.
  • There has been correspondence to athletes from the IOC, AOC and cycling administrators in Australia about the prospect of the Tokyo Games going ahead.
  • There seem to be references to considerations being given for an Olympics with “no crowd”.
  • He believes the times for the team pursuit might go as low as 3:40.
  • The Australian team has been experimenting with equipment, including using a 70-tooth chainring… all in the quest for chain-line efficiency.
  • The pursuit team will race around 125-inch gears for the team pursuit.
  • There’s experimentation with the order of the riders doing the team pursuit, with the selection of five firmed up to include (in alphabetical order): Leigh Howard, Kelland O’Brien, Luke Plapp, Alex Porter and Sam Welsford.
  • There have been offers for a pro contract from several road teams… but he’ll talk more about that after the nationals (3-7 February).
  • Plapp, although having just turned 20, will race in the elite category at the Australian championships (as will the others from the pursuit team) and do so as part of the ‘Team InForm TM Insight Make’ line-up.
  • Team InForm TM Insight Make will serve as a feeder team to Trinity Racing in the UK… and Trinity is essentially a feeder team for Ineos Grenadiers.
  • Plapp hasn’t yet signed a pro contract.
  • Plapp weighs ±70kg and stands 180cm tall.
  • Plapp has borrowed some lessons from his time on the track and applied them to his position on the road bike.
  • Plapp likes to spin a high cadence when riding on the road… until he gets to the climbs and then he likes to “grind”. This happens largely because the track team does its strength/endurance efforts going uphill, and the riders have become accustomed to riding like this.

There’s more. But there’s also a video which you can watch to save me from paraphrasing any more of the interview.

Click ‘play’. Settle into the lounge. Watch our chat… and maybe learn a thing or two about a young man who is on the cusp of bigger things in our sport.

 

– Interview by Rob Arnold