Plapp Grabs Paris-Nice GC Lead on New Max 40 WheelSystem!

Team Jayco AlUla rider Luke Plapp took over the lead at the Paris-Nice stage race, racing to a second-place finish on Stage 4 to take over the top spot in the general classification at the midway point of the eight-day WorldTour race in France. The Australian national champion earned the lead on the new Giant TCR Advanced SL team bike with the recently unveiled CADEX Max 40 WheelSystem.
 
Near the end of a tough day of racing in cold, wet conditions, Plapp launched an uphill attack on the Col du Fût d’Avenas, drawing Colombian climber Santiago Buitrago with him to form a two-man break.
 
The duo worked together to create a 40-second gap on the chasers as they hit the final 3km climb up Mont Brouilly. Buitrago was able to go clear on the upper ramps of the climb, but Plapp paced himself perfectly to finish second and take over the GC lead.
 
“I really tried to race that last climb like a time trial and race it to the line, and I think that gave me the best time possible rather than if I raced it and then blew up,” said Plapp. “I was at the back a bit today, but the boys got me up there when it mattered. I’m blown away by how it unfolded.”
 
Plapp said taking the leader’s jersey adds to a solid team effort so far in this important early-season WorldTour race. “It’s been a nice start and hopefully we will have a sprint stage for Dylan [Groenewegen],” he said. “We have such a diverse team here that every day we’re here to win, whether it is a sprint stage, the TTT yesterday, or today.”
 
Looking ahead, Plapp said the team will continue to look for more opportunities. “We’ll look towards the sprint tomorrow and then we’ll think about the weekend,” he said. “This is more than I ever could have imagined and anything else now is a bonus. We’ll just take it day by day.”