Thanks to so many competitions (let’s not forget Plapp’s participation at Tour Down Under and Tour of Oman to start the year), the Australian is already up to 41 race days this season – and he’s far from finished.
The stage is set for great Tour de France
To race three stage races between May and June is not exactly a usual build-up to Tour de France, but Plapp is confident that he’s found the right recipe to arrive in competitive shape:
“I think I’m already pretty close,” he said about his peak form heading into July. “I wouldn’t change a thing about where I am right now. I think it’ll just be a few final tweaks to get me ready to race. I’m really happy with how things are going. I’d be pretty happy to head into the Tour with these legs.”
Fortunately is seems like the illness from Tour Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes will not disturb Plapp’s preparation: “I’m going home for two weeks. Rest and do nothing. It’s been a busy time, with altitude training camps and a little over a week here. I’m happy to be able to spend two weeks at home with my girlfriend and relax before I see these guys again for another month,” he laughed.
Plapp at the Clásica San Sebastián 2025
No GC, at least not at Tour
Nevertheless, podium at Tour de Hongrie and riding GC at Grande Boucle are two completely different challenges – something that Plapp acknowledges in his pre-Tour ambitions which don’t include three stress-filled weeks on French roads.
“No, no. I’m going there for stage wins,” he said firmly.
However, Plapp also highlights that the situation could be different at this year’s last Grand Tour – Vuelta a Espana – where without many of the top contenders set to participate (at the moment), the Australian could score a great result. “I’d like to try for a general classification in the Vuelta. The Tour will be all about chasing stage wins.”
Plapp is really looking forward to return to stage-hunting in search of his second Grand Tour stage win.
“I think we’ll bring a team like that with us. We’ll really go for stage wins and race aggressively and enjoy ourselves. I think that’s a fun way to race. You’ll have that kind of motivation every day.”